Immaculate Excrement
Shit in the Dirt didn't disappoint. But, then again, it never does.
I walked in to The Apohedian kinda pissed off. Not because I wasn’t excited for what was to come, but because I had just gotten a flat tire. I momentarily thought that maybe I shouldn’t go to this showing, maybe I should deal with this damn tire and call a tow. Screw it, it’s a Saturday night and there won’t be anybody to tow my car, whether by my accord or by the lot’s owner. Why not try and see how this night goes?
Within 90 seconds, my mood had done a full 180: I was on the stage singing an improvised song about a dog in the style of Crash Test Dummies accompanied by a piano. Do I own a dog? No. Do I love dogs? Yes. Was I prepared for this? Absolutely not. Did it matter? No, this was the best thing that could happen at that moment.
That’s Shit in the Dirt for you. They take the concept of what a film screening/festival should be (or even could be) and flip it all on its head. Consisting entirely of short films with low to no budget, the festival showcases films from around the world that epitomize the vibe of current independent cinema. You want a film about a guy who wants a kiss from a sexy bowling pin animation? Miss has you covered. How about an animated film about a doctor (aptly named Dr. Doc) who successfully finds a worm in a patient’s ear that is playing an out of tune banjo? Earworm is here for that. What about a Lynchian homage to Eraserhead complete with an ear baby? Look no further than The Resilience (La Resilencia).
In addition to those, here are a few more of my favorites from this year:
This Is Not An Emergency - a lovely animated short of two teenagers trying to pick up weed but then lose one of their baby brothers who then grows to Godzilla size and almost destroys the town
Burrito Breakdown - Chipotle YouTube psyop against Moe’s
Discarded T-Shirts - Recounting stories through t-shirts. Some of the shirts include a couple wearing matching “I Love My Boyfriend/Girlfriend”, an accidental 9/11 shirt first worn on 9/11, a tramp stamp that looks like the tip of a penis
Piss - trying to take a piss but can’t because of people coming in and out of the bathroom plus a dude taking a shit keeps passing drawings to you about how our protagonist can’t piss
Year of the Catfish - Tim and Eric style music video with crazy edits and hints of Prince and self-awareness
Tragically, A Make or Break Question - Ed Sheeran?
Mr. Mittens - revenge tale of cat that gets their balls cuts off, goes on murder spree, extremely grindhouse and fully commits to the bit
All of these films were so bizarre in every way you can imagine and most (with the only exception being The Resilience) were laugh out loud hilarious. Each film had a heart that was 1000 times bigger than their budget, representing either an idea that was extremely personal or just a stupid joke that they thought would be funny. While there weren’t as many extremely short shorts this year, I never felt any of the films lingered for too long; each film makes its point and then moves on, more likely than not leaving you in stitches.
This year was only the second time I’ve attended a Shit in the Dirt, but first time going with a friend. Luckily enough, I didn’t have to explain to them about what it was as they had gone two years prior. But even if I had shown up solo I would’ve had plenty of company as the showing had sold out not long after I arrived and everyone was loving it even though a majority of them had never been to a Shit in the Dirt showing. Not to mention the fact that they were ready to support each and every film that was on screen, roaring in laughter at every joke and applauding each ending. In fact, the only film that had a bit of a mixed response was The Resilience, but that was mainly due to the unsettling ear-bug-baby.
Both before and after the program, the organizers of Shit in the Dirt stressed the same thing: the importance of true artistic independence. Each of these films represented the artist without any outside influence: no AI, no corporations, no censors, just pure unadulterated film independence. This extra detail of the level of independence is something that I’ve noticed over the past year, especially with the wider onset of generative AI and corporate control, but is it truly the last bastion of independence? I’d say, luckily enough, no: weirdness still reigns supreme over all, especially in our weird little bubble called Maine. But these spaces are dwindling, we are seeing greater consolidation that snuffs out deep creativity. That’s why we need Shit in the Dirt. That’s what made it so nice to see the community come together and support these deeply odd, and occasionally preternatural, shorts
Oh, and that song that I improved when I walked in? It was horse shit. But man, was I proud of the weird thing I briefly made.