Fresh off directing episodes of Marvel’s “Moon Knight” and then being upped as the main directors on “Loki” season two, indie filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have returned for their own solo effort, “Something In The Dirt.” Known for trippy, surreal, strange, high-concept, sci-fi, and horror films like “Spring,” “The Endless,” and “Synchronic,” Benson and Moorhead’s work is always unique, and for ‘Dirt,’ their latest, the duo crafted one of their most lo-fi efforts.
Shot during the pandemic with themselves as the leads, and Benson’s own apartment served as the primary location of the film, most for lockdown necessity’s sake, the film centers on two conspiracy-theory-inclined neighbors who go down a surreal rabbit hole of paranoia, distrust, crazy theories and more when they witness supernatural events in their Los Angeles apartment building.
The film had its world premiere online at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival in January 2022, and it’s a laugh riot, too, a terrific mix of humor, dread, and more. The term “galaxy brain” sums it all up nicely.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Levi has snagged a no-lease apartment sight unseen in the Hollywood Hills to crash at while he ties up loose ends for his exodus from Los Angeles. He quickly strikes up a rapport with his new neighbor John, swapping stories like old friends under the glowing, smoke-filled skies of the city. Soon after meeting, Levi and John witness something impossible in one of their apartments. Terrified at first, they soon realize this could change their lives and give them a purpose. With dollar signs in their eyes, these two eccentric strangers will attempt to prove the supernatural.
DIY wunderkinds Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson serve as co-directors, co-stars, co-editors, writer (Benson) and cinematographer (Moorhead) of this twisted, sci-fi talkie. Their odd-ball chemistry shines on screen and in the script, as these two isolated and unfulfilled individuals spur each other toward wormholes and away from reality. SOMETHING IN THE DIRT tells a tale of these paranoid times, where every answer imaginable is just a Google search away.
“Something In The Dirt” opens in theaters on November 4 via XYZ Films. Watch the new trailer below.