Two neighbors who have just met encounter a supernatural phenomenon in their rental apartment. They decide to collaborate on a documentary about the unexplainable, hoping it will bring them fame and fortune. A film by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, starring Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead.
SOMETHING IN THE DIRT
Justin Benson • Aaron Moorhead
(2022)
Levi (Justin Benson) wakes up in the apartment he just moved into and discovers a crystal ashtray on the floor of the closet. On the walls, he finds symbols that resemble mathematical equations, presumably left by the previous tenant.
When he walks downstairs, he encounters John (Aaron Moorhead) another tenant in the same building. John is a mathematics teacher who has recently gone through a divorce and is now living alone in his apartment.
Moments later, they encounter the unexplainable when John notices the ashtray moving on its own and thinks he has seen a ghost. However, when both of them see the ashtray floating in mid-air, glowing brightly throughout the room, they realize it could be a supernatural phenomenon that has never been documented before. They decide to film it and capture photos for a documentary, hoping to sell it to a studio and gain both money and fame.
They quickly become friends, often spending time in the room to film videos and exchange thoughts on experiences, conspiracy theories, secret organizations, mathematical equations, parallel universes, and interdimensional portals. However, the atmosphere begins to shift when John discovers that Levi has a criminal past he’s been trying to conceal.
After watching several films by this directing duo (SYNCHRONIC, The ENDLESS, SPRING, RESOLUTION), this one is probably my least favorite. Although it has a sci-fi vibe reminiscent of THE X FILES and satirizes conspiracy theories, which keeps the me curious about what will happen next and the true nature of the supernatural phenomenon.
However, the editing, which keeps switching back and forth between expert interviews, disrupts the flow and leaves me unsure whether I am watching real-time events or footage from a completed documentary. The storyline also features a similar narrative to RESOLUTION, where the characters find themselves in unbelievable situations. Yet, RESOLUTION at least had more memorable twists than this one.
SOMETHING IN THE DIRT premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2022. The received a limited theatrical release in the United States on 4 November, by XYZ Films.
