Annual Top Films Lists

Top 150 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2019: #127. Dirty God – Sacha Polak

Published on January 1, 2019

Dirty God

Dutch director Sacha Polak embarks on another harrowing experience with third feature, Dirty God (which commenced filming at the beginning of 2018). Produced by Michael Elliott of EFU Films and Marleen Slot of Viking Film (who produced Polak’s 2015 feature Zurich), Polak snags Felix van Groeningen’s usual DP Ruben Impens (The Broken Circle Breakdown, 2012; Beautiful Boy, 2018). The English language production stars Vicky Knight in the lead with supporting actors Frieda Thiel, Luke White and Michael John Treanor. Polak’s 2012 debut Hemel won a FIPRESCI Prize following its premiere in the Forum sidebar at the Berlin International Film Festival. She returned to Berlin in the Forum sidebar with 2015’s Zurich, which took home a C.I.C.A.E. Award.

Gist: Co-written by Susanne Farrell (who also wrote Julian Jarrold’s upcoming Sulphur and White), Dirty God turns on Jade (Knight), a young mother in her prime who is viciously burned in an acid attack. Though her face has been reconstructed, her beauty had faded and her personal relationships have begun to erode. As she descends down a path of self-destruction, drastic action is required for her salvation.

Release Date/Prediction: Polak will compete in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and is the opening film at the Rotterdam Film Festival. It opens in the Netherlands in April of 2019.

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.