Line #43 Film/TheDirties


1	%%
2	%%
3	%% Zero-Context Examples have been commented out.
4	%%
5	%% Please add context before uncommenting.
6	%%
7	%%
8
9	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_dirties_review_sundance_7024.jpg]]
10	[[caption-width-right:350:Owen on the left, Matt on the right.]]
11
12	->''[[{{Tagline}} Two best friends are filming a comedy about getting revenge on the bullies at their high school.\
13	One of them isn't joking.]]''
14
15	''The Dirties'' is a 2013 mockumentary film co-written and directed by Matt Johnson. It premiered at that year's Slamdance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. Distribution for the film was assisted by Creator/KevinSmith, who dubbed it "the most important movie you will see all year."
16
17	Matt (played by Johnson) and Owen are two [[HighSchoolRejects unpopular]] high school students making a movie about two victimized students taking revenge on a gang of bullies, a premise [[WriteWhatYouKnow lifted directly from their daily struggles]]. Upon finishing their movie and showing it to their film teacher, the two discover they must completely rework it in order for it to be appropriate for class. While Owen loses interest in making the film and instead tries to woo the girl he likes, Matt becomes more and more obsessed with the idea of doing the movie, complete with a shooting scene, for ''real''.
18
19	The entire film, with the exception of the last line, is improvised and was shot documentary-style with a tiny crew in real high schools.
20
21	----
22	!!Examples:
23
24	* AdultsAreUseless: At the beginning of the film, real-life students and teachers are briefly interviewed about bullying. One of the students says the adults don't do a thing, and even when one tried to intervene once, they got punched.
25	* AttentionWhore: Matt is constantly, ''constantly'', doing things for the camera.
26	* BecomingTheMask: Reconstructed. While Matt [[spoiler:certainly becomes the mask by the end of the film]] the question is exactly when this turns from being a performance to being reality. [[spoiler:Was he always serious about the shooting? If he and Owen had stayed as close as in the beginning and/or Owen hadn't been successful with Chrissy, would it have all remained as theory? Is he actually aware that he's serious prior to losing his relationship with Owen?]]
27	* BewareTheSillyOnes: Matt is always trying to be funny, which he does more desperately as the film goes on. [[spoiler:Even when he's setting up the [=GoPros=] to capture the shooting, he's singing to himself.]]
28	%% * BromanticFoil: Matt is this to Owen, despite being the main character.
29	* CannotTellFictionFromReality:
30	** As Matt's plan to get revenge on the Dirties becomes more important to him, he loses his [[SanitySlippage grasp on reality]]. Owen gets very upset with him for this.
31	--->"You're acting! You're always acting! Always you're conscious of yourself. I don't know what's real with you and what's not real with you."
32	** This is how Matt's mom defines "crazy" when he asks her if she thinks he's nuts.
33	%% * CloudcuckoolandersMinder: Owen for Matt.
34	* CreepyCrossdresser: Matt dresses up as one for the movie, apparently just because they can't find a real girl to do it. He watches it repeatedly, though, implying that it hits a ''lot'' deeper for him than that.
35	%% * CrushingHandshake: One of the very first instances of bullying in the film is a variation of this.
36	* DepravedHomosexual: Heavily implied to be part of Matt's deal, although he never talks about it directly. He's ''extremely'' jealous of Owen's burgeoning relationship with Chrissy, never shows any interest in girls at school, and only really goes off at the deep end when [[spoiler:his and Owen's friendship gets torpedoed by his escalating violence, bitterness, and jealousy.]]
37	%% * DescriptionCut: Many subtle ones--the movie is cut together so one thing happens after another--but a more obvious one is when Matt mentions the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN1XzxOQWrA "wicked song by Best Coast."]]
38	* DissonantSerenity: [[spoiler:After Matt shoots and kills the bullies, he goes looking for Owen, along the way assuring terrified classmates that he's [[MadnessMantra only there for the bad guys]]. The only thing he seems bothered by is the fact that he can't find Owen right away.]]
39	-->[[spoiler:"What are you doing? It's me."]]
40	%% * DoubleTap: [[spoiler:Matt almost casually does this to Jackman.]]
41	* EffeminateMisogynisticGuy: Downplayed but still present with Matt. While he isn't as effeminate as other examples, he becomes obsessed with the video of himself dressed up as a woman, loudly and repeatedly mocks Owen for showing interest in girls, either isn't gay or refuses to admit it to himself, and mocks Chrissy for being "stupid" to Owen.
42	%% * FauxDocumentary: Minus the talking heads.
43	%% * GilliganCut: The cake-making scene.
44	* HalfwayPlotSwitch: The first half of the story is a black comedy about a pair of kids dealing with bullying. About halfway through, it becomes increasingly obvious that it is about a [[TheSociopath possible sociopath]] plotting a mass shooting.
45	%% * IncrediblyConspicuousDrag: ''[[Film/BeingJohnMalkovich Malkovich, Malkovich...]]''
46	%% * LeftItIn: "Don't...don't say 'faggots'."
47	* TheMovieBuff: Try to find a scene in this movie where Matt isn't making some reference to another film. His walls are covered with movie posters, too.
48	* {{Narcissist}}: Matt begins the movie by quoting famous films and TV shows, but as it goes on, he begins to quote himself.
49	* NoFourthWall: Matt talks directly to one of the cameramen at several points.
50	-->"You're going to need to put these in yourself."
51	%% * OnlyFriend: Lampshaded by Owen when he [[spoiler:storms out of Matt's house.]]
52	%% * PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure: [[spoiler:One of the many things that leads to [[AxCrazy Matt]] killing the bullies.]]
53	%% * SchoolBullyingIsHarmless: Boy is this ever subverted. Matt and Owen are practically tortured daily.
54	%% * SerenadeYourLover: Owen tries to do this with Chrissy.
55	* TheSociopath: [[spoiler:Matt, who lampshades this by literally reading the definition of one to Owen and saying, "Tell me if this sounds like anybody."]]
56	%% * TeensAreMonsters
57	* TVTeen: Totally averted. They shot the film in real high schools, so [[DawsonCasting besides the lead actors]], the students are all actually in high school. Plus, one of the aims of the movie was to portray teens in a realistic, non-Hollywood way.
58	%% * WhosLaughingNow: [[spoiler:''"Sweatpants are out."'']]
59	* WilliamTelling: Matt tries to get Owen to shoot a bullet right past his head.
60	----

Context Film / TheDirties