When writer/director Alex Phillips hit the indie scene with his trippy feature-length debut All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, I was already exhausted by his provocative filmmaking.

By using an unreliable narrative filled with hallucinatory visuals, over-the-top performances and uncomfortable humour to convey the desperate lives of junkies made for an agonizingly aimless and, quite frankly, offensive flick. But, for Phillips’ sophomore feature Anything That Moves, these traits and signatures are juxtaposed against the gig industry and sex work, and everything fares much better. The results are still divisive and dirty as the envelope is pushed by hardcore sex, graphic nudity, harsh language and extreme gore but, nevertheless, this still marks an enormous improvement for Phillips.

Instead of exploiting his characters and punching down, Phillips creates a community in Anything That Moves. The audience understands the unmatched connection between these unconventional sex workers and their clients, which contributes towards the shock and sadness when patrons are suddenly targeted by a serial killer and are murdered after being serviced. The audience hardly sees daylight, making the story feel like a never-ending shift of panic and paranoia.

Anything That Moves may sound like an arthouse Deuce Bigalow, but Alex Phillips recognizes humanity in the most absurd situations – a specific skill missing from most “edgy” dark comedies.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie