A rowdy man (novelist Joel Hynes, playing some unflattering version of himself) and a low-self-esteem girl (Mylene Savoie) meet as cutely as possible in shit-town Newfoundland and subsequently try to make a better life for themselves in the big(ger) city. This being a kitchen-sink Maritime melodrama, however, it’s only a matter of time before he’s accidentally poisoned their cat and has to put the mewling thing out of its misery — perhaps the most unpleasant scene in a strenuously unpleasant movie. Down to the Dirt purports to be an unflinching drama about down-and-outers struggling to maintain their dignity in a hard world, but the eagerness with which director Justin Simms flaunts the various filthy particulars suggests a dirt-cheap sensibility. 

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