Trash – Movie Review by Frank L.

Director: Stephen Daldry
Writers: Felipe Braga (additional material), Richard Curtis (screenplay)
Stars: Rooney Mara, Martin Sheen, Wagner Moura

Adapted by Richard Curtis from the novel of the same name by Andy Mulligan, his second, published in 2010, Trash depicts the violent and intimidating existence of three kids who scavenge for a living in the domestic municipal rubbish dumps of Rio de Janeiro to where the discarded detritus of the more privileged in society is incessantly carted on an industrial scale. As avalanches of rubbish tumble from a trucks they endanger themselves, like mountaineers without the equipment, on moving piles of trash. They pick with naked hands, barelegged, through the redundant, broken or simply not wanted objects which fall higgledy-piggedly from the lorries. The scavengers live and work in the hope of finding some bit or piece which may be of some value to them even though it is of no value to the person who discarded it probably without a second thought. Rubbish is not often thought of as visually beautiful but Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliott, The Hours and The Reader) without in any way making the dump beautiful, manages to create a series of images that have a colourful artistic magnificence. An early shot in the dump is of one of the scavengers eyeing a discarded wallet. While it contains cash, it is far more than cash that it contains. By a series flashbacks, Daldry reveals how the wallet ended up in the dump and why the recovery of the wallet is of critical importance to some of the richest and most powerful in society who come from a morality free zone.

The true trash of the story is not the rubbish but the corrupt-to-the-core people who control the city. They need to recover the wallet as it contains within it the key which can unlock the filth which lies at the centre of the city’s administration. So Daldry incrementally reveals the hunt-the-wallet story with a fine sound track which ensures the succession of small events move at an ‘edge of your seat’ clip around the smart parts of the city, the squalid sprawling favelas, jails and graveyards. At all times it is visually enchanting and the acting of the three scavengers never misses a beat as they flee with lightning speed whenever they might appear to be cornered. They are fleet of foot. In short the story telling of how to unravel the meaning of the contents of the wallet is captivating.

To provide a bit of ballast the three scavengers in the favela have a connection with two missionaries Father Juilliard (Martin Sheen) and Olivia (Rooney Mara) whose experience and gravitas provide a structure to enable the search for what lies behind the mysterious contents of the wallet have a credible purpose. They represent the only figures in authority who have some sort of integrity.

While this is undoubtedly a David and Goliath type of movie the ending permitting some of the protagonists to live happily ever after is a bit of a let down even if many of the bad guys come to a sticky end. Notwithstanding this reservation, Trash is to be seen.