Dirty Knees
2025 · 11m · USA
Directed by Michael Rodrigues
Tones: dark, melancholic, tense
Following an intimate encounter in a forest, a young man undergoes a psychological shift where repulsion rewrites his memories.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Forest hookup followed by repulsion rewriting memory — the premise is genuinely interesting and the craft credits (DOP, colourist, original score) suggest someone took it seriously. I'm cautiously curious.
Locating horror in the syntax of memory after a sexual encounter is a sophisticated proposition, and the credits list — South African production design, scored by Kidwithamatch — suggests genuine craft rather than slick imitation. Raw and Under the Skin are bold company that may or may not be earned.
11:01, 1,276 views, deeply credited South African crew (DOP Robin Sheperd-Taylor, sound design by Kyle Koekemoer, original music Kidwithamatch) — the kind of post pipeline that suggests memory-as-horror will be carried by sound design and grade more than performance. This one I'd actually queue.