Dirty Work

A quirky documentary about three men who have unusual jobs. Included: a reproductive physiologist who collects bull semen; a restorative artist who works on dead bodies; and a septic-tank pumper. David Sampliner and Tim Nackashi directed. Produced by Edward Norton., Historian David Sampliner and musician Tim Nackashi make their film debut with Dirty Work, a pleasant documentary about three men with particularly unpleasant careers. Sanitation specialist Darrell cleans septic tanks. Reproductive physiologist Russ collects bull semen. Restorative artist Bernard is an embalmer of corpses for funerals. The filmmakers spend time with each subject in order to personalize the industries dealing with food, waste, and death. The interviews attempt to demystify aspects of everyday contemporary life that many people take for granted. Dirty Work was shown at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the American Spectrum program.