Review of Trash (2014) by Maksim B — 03 Feb 2016

An adventurous drama with glimpses of a political thriller, Trash is a heart-warming story that succeeds to be both funny and thought-provoking. Even though its social commentary is not as sharp as many have probably hoped for and the story is somehow unfocused, the movie is an emotional entertainment, which will make you feel good in the end.

A boy living in the slums of Rio de Janeiro discovers a wallet at the city garbage dump and soon he and his friends find themselves the primary interest of the corrupted Rio cops to whom the wallet is of great interest. While trying to find out what is the mystery behind this wallet, the trio literary faces the powerful and merciless system of corrupted politicians and cops.

Needless to say, with the setting being in the slums of Rio, one would expect an uneasy and thought-provoking content, which wouldn't be easy-to-chew. To everyone's surprise, Trash is not as grim and hard to follow as initially expected and the three boys that star in the movie are the main reason. Faithful to their friendship and not giving up even when death becomes a possible outcome of their adventure, the trio is energetic, honest and quite funny. Unfortunately, what deprives Stephen Daldry's delivery from reaching the level of "slum-related" classics such as Slumdog Millionaire is the lack of moral complexity in the story. Everything and everyone is depicted as either good or bad and this somehow makes the otherwise provoking social commentary on corruption and inequality in Brazil seem a bit unrealistic and lose part of its powerful message. This is actually the movie's biggest and only fault. With the concept, the story and the actors starring, Trash could have been a very serious Oscar-contender, if it were more focused on the political and social side of the story, rather than the adventure itself.

In conclusion Trash is an enjoyable and thrilling drama, which will please everyone who is searching for a solid and captivating story. Energetic and provocative, it will certainly please you and make you feel as the two hours spent watching it were not a bad decision at all. Give it a try!