This feature documentary is an exploration of the concept of dirt and impurity. From the slums of Kolkata to Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to a barbeque joint in Central Texas, Dirt digs deep into the webs of meaning and feeling attached to that deceptively simple 4-letter word. An odyssey into all things unclean, the film features animation to make Hieronymus Bosch blush and music from Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Warnings: Language (repeated use of the word “shit,” use of the word “cunt” (53:45), “fucking” (56:44. Disturbing images (photographs of dead/decaying bodies, naked Holocaust victims, dead fetus, artistic renditions of monsters defecating, fornicating). Topics covered: Sex workers, sex, defecation.
This documentary film features conversations about what it means to feel dirty and what dirt represents. A range of people from all walks of life are interviewed. Teachers will need to preview this film to ensure the students are able to handle the mature material. Students could choose one of the angles in the film to research further, such as waste management, agricultural practices, the caste system and discrimination. The class could discuss or debate these topics.