In her debut film, Vicky Knight delivers a raw portrayal of motherhood, poverty and the aftermath of violence
“MONSTER”. THIS is the first word Rae says upon seeing her mother Jade after the slew of operations and skin grafts she has had since her ex-boyfriend threw acid in her face. Not the best response, obviously, but Rae is two. Lisa , Jade’s mother, is old enough to know better: “But it’s a nice monster, Rae,” she explains to the little girl.
“Dirty God” is directed by Sacha Polak, the Dutch film-maker known for “Hemel” and “Zurich” , both of which won prizes at the Berlin film festival. The movie is startling for its raw tactility: the opening credits play over close-ups of Jade’s burned skin, pitted and gnawed where the acid fell.
Of the real monster of the piece, Jade’s ex-boyfriend, the viewer sees blessedly little. He appears to Jade in dreams as a creature with clawed hands and a ruff of crow-black feathers. When she does see him in the flesh, in court, she is so scared that her bladder releases, urine spurting dark and wet into the fabric of her fawn-coloured trousers. Small wonder she seeks release from her appearance, at one point, in a full black niqab. ”You’re not one of those wotsits now are you now?” Lisa asks.
Ultimately, of course, Lisa is right. Neither hiding behind borrowed face coverings nor investing in too-good-to-be-true promises of surgery in Morocco are the answer. Instead Jade has to accept the unacceptable and pursue, with grace, happiness in her new life.
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