"A
truly pleasing adventure through the shantytowns of Brazil.”
Three Brazilian teenage dump boys are up against corrupt officials
in Stephen Daldry’s Trash. Based on
Andy Mulligan’s 2010 young adult novel of the same title, this cat-and-mouse
adventure film follows the battle of good kids against bad guys in the slums
and streets of the busy metropolis of Rio de Janeiro.
The film begins with a police raid on Angelo (Wagner Moura),
the right-hand man of Santos, a wealthy and corrupt congressman. Eyeing the
mayoralty seat, Santos has been stashing pay-outs for the election. Stealing his
cash and some incriminating materials against him, Angelo flees from Santos’ home
and hides. Unfortunately, the police squad finally discovers him and before he
is caught, he tosses a wallet containing all evidences into a passing garbage
truck. Eventually, Angelo is tortured and killed.
Raphael (Rickson Teves) is a 14-year old boy living in a
lakeside favela. Like his best friend, Gardo (Eduardo Lewis), he spends his
days rummaging through the trash at a nearby municipal dump to earn some reals.
Incidentally, he finds Angelo’s wallet in the heaps of fresh trash. He pockets
the money and shares it with Gardo and hides the rest of the contents. The two buddies soon realize that Raphael’s
pick holds greater value, especially when police forces, lead by a crooked
nameless officer (Selton Mello), appear at the site and offer big reward for
the missing item. The boys get suspicious and when Raphael discovers a key
inside the wallet, they team up with fellow guttersnipe Rato (Gabriel Weinstein)
to search for answers, as well as getting help from an American priest and
social activist, Father Julliard (Martin Sheen), and volunteer English teacher,
Olivia (Rooney Mara).
Trash feels like
a Latin American counterpart of 2008’s Slumdog
Millionaire. Both films trace similar storyline of underdogs triumphing
against evil forces, chases through poor crowded streets, and large appeal to
sentiments. They are also crowd-pleasers, particularly to children, masses and
general mainstream viewers. While the older film have successfully drawn
characterization in its fully loaded narrative, the present movie falls short
in this aspect and concentrates more on its action sequences. It is a busy film
throughout. Plot twists are very plenty and thank goodness that the brat protags
are able to follow through them, even outsmarting their adult enemies. It is because
of Angelo’s wallet, a Pandora’s Box that opens some ills in the country and
ultimately sends those kids into an unnecessary quest against some big fishes. It
is a heart-pumping adventure film, fast-paced, restless and undeniably energetic.
The superb production design also added extra charisma to
the feature. The dump is believably and vividly fashioned, as well as the murky
lake, tortuous alleyways and jam-packed shantytowns. As much as the lensing smartly
and prettily captures these details, editing is able to showcase them while the
action unfolds one after another.
The film is set against a backdrop of dishonesty in the
government and general economic picture of Brazilian masses. Superficially, it
explores the corruption in the country, even down to the local law enforcement,
the disheartening inequality between the rich and the poor, and some deeply-rooted
cultural practices and lifestyles. In one scene, Raphael is depressingly
abducted by the police forces and abused through a brutal car ride. It draws
much sentimentality and much like the rest of its narrative, the film fairly
succeeds in depicting the country’s plight through visual poetry and
appeal to emotion rather than through urgency and genuine concern.
Actors give as much as they can to their thinly-sketched characters.
While Sheen gives justice to his conventional character, Mara finds it hard to
break free from the dull Olivia. Both were miserably underused. The film’s true
saving grace is the strong and dynamic performance of its young actors. It is affecting
how they protect, respect and support each other despite conflicting interests. We
might not know much about their individual stories but their brotherhood and
rapport sufficiently carry the film.
Trash is formulaic,
predictable, sentimental and action-packed with truly haunting visuals. Its
narrative and characters may be poorly developed but the film is entertaining
as a whole.
Production
companies: Working Title Films
Cast: Selton Mello, Wagner
Moura, Rooney Mara, Martin Sheen Rickson Tevis, Eduardo Luis, Gabriel
Weinstein, Nelson Xavier, Stepan
Nercessian, Teca Pereira, Conceicao Camarotti, Jesuita Barbosa, Charles
Paraventi, Enrique Diaz, Leandro Firmino, Gisele Froes, Andre Ramiro, Magdale
Alves, Maria Eduarda Lima Botelho, Jose Dumont, Christiane Amanpour
Director: Stephen Daldry
Screenwriter: Richard
Curtis, based on the novel by Andy Mulligan
Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric
Fellner, Kris Thykier
Executive producers: Bel
Berlinck, Andrea Barata Ribeiro, Fernando Meirelles, Amelia Granger, Liza
Chasin
Director of photography:
Adriano Goldman
Production designer: Tule
Peak
Costume designer: Bia
Salgado
Editor: Elliot Graham
Composer: Antonio Pinto
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