Title: Dirty God
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Sacha Polak
Starring: Vicky Knight, Katherine Kelly, Rebecca Stone
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

What It Is: Jade (Knight), a young mother, struggles to continue everyday life as she recovers from an acid attack that left her with severe scarring. With the help of her friend, Shami (Stone), Jade hopes to adjust to her new normal even if other people continue to look away from her in disgust. Her new circumstances make it no easier to raise a young child or find love but the hope of undergoing affordable reconstructive surgery in Morocco motivates Jade to keep ongoing.

What We Think: If I had to describe this film in one word, it would be monotonous. From the acting to the pacing, everything was exceptionally average at best and struggled to hold my attention. With very little in terms of actual plot, the lack of compelling characters really drove this movie into the ground. It’s effectively a character study of someone who undergoes a drastic, appearance-altering event and does urge the viewer to consider what life may be like for people in similar situations like the main character. While the film’s character-driven, the development of the characters is either non-existent or unbelievable. I attribute this to the dull writing and really can’t fault any of the actors for their lackluster performances given what they had to work with. While there may be some subtle glimpses of exciting cinematography or what appears to be a heartfelt direction, none of what’s good in this film makes up for the underwhelming end product. Obviously, this film tackles some important conversations and shows the viewer just how toxic society and societal expectations can be. But the whole thing just reads as something I’ve heard before and needed something extra for me to actually enjoy it. To put it bluntly, this movie’s just one of the many that focus on someone going through trauma and have nothing else going for it.      

Our Grade: D, I hate to be so critical considering this film certainly means a lot to the lead actress, Knight. But I’m here to watch movies and speak my truth. For some people, this will mean a lot, and others will think even less of it than I do. It’s boring, predictable, and relies way too much on creating emotion through the soundtrack. The runtime is seriously perplexing as the film could probably be cut down to an hour and still hold the same amount of substance. It’s a respectable film but not one I would ever recommend.