Dutch director Sacha Polak (Hemel, Zurich) makes her English-language debut with this visually expressive, emotionally raw and thematically topical account of a South London woman’s determined fight to reclaim her life. 

Just discharged from hospital after a vicious acid attack by her ex, Jade’s plight can only improve. But her toddler daughter cries at her newly scarred appearance, strangers and colleagues alike are quick to share their callous thoughts, and the only human connection she can find is via online hook-ups and dimly lit nightclub trysts – making a trip to Morocco for plastic surgery seem like her only option.

In her first film role, newcomer Vicky Knight – who suffers from severe scarring herself – stunned audiences at this year’s Rotterdam and Sundance film festivals for her fearless and searing performance. Dirty God takes her lead, serving up a no-holds-barred portrait of a woman fighting back against life’s cruelties that has earned Polak comparisons to Lynne Ramsay and Andrea Arnold.

“Sacha Polack, as director and producer of this truly beautiful film, has wrought a stunning piece of cinematic mastery.” – Film Ireland Magazine

Contains strobe lighting effects and brief sexual imagery