Trash Fire

'Trash Fire' reminded me a little of 'Tusk'. Very different films (both of which I happened to love), but with one common similarity at the centre of them - the characters have some actual depth to them. The first half of 'Trash Fire' I couldn't work where exactly the horror tag IMDb had attached to it was coming from. It seemed purely like a relationship-drama and a character-study of sorts. What I didn't realise was that all of that was purely character development and set-up, something almost unheard of in your average horror movie.

Even after completing the movie, using the term horror might be stretching things a little. There are certainly particular scenes that would fit right into a horror movie, but I think the whole thing is intended more as a very dark comedy/drama. In fact, very dark indeed. I liked it a lot though. Each and every one of the characters was fascinating in its own way. Almost all of the dialogue is excellently written and quite thought-provoking. The acting was also immensely impressive from the entire cast. I went in with low expectations and was treated to a nice surprise.

I came across this movie on Netflix and figured hey, why not? I had never heard of the film but I recognized the cast. Turns out this slow burn of a movie is well worth your time. The film is almost two in one, the first half is a well written drama about a young man (Adrian Grenier) and his girlfriend and the very real problems they face. So often in movies the characters in relationships have fake problems that no one ever experiences (I'm looking at you How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days). This couple has problems that I would imagine many viewers can relate to, enough so that it may be uncomfortable watching with your significant other. Grenier retains a bit of the Vinnie Chase charisma but it almost drowned in his apathy to...well just about everything. I found this part of the movie engrossing and realistic. I enjoyed all the side characters we meet here as well.

Trash Fire then transitions into a Southern Gothic melodrama as our two leads travel to meet Grenier's family. This is the meat of the movie and the tone changes dramatically from the relationship drama we first experienced to something darker. I hope people check this movie out, the low IMDb scores likely reflect the difficulty in putting this film in a genre. It isn't a horror film, it isn't a drama in the traditional mode and it isn't a crime thriller. It is likely fans of all those genre's might check this out and may be disappointed because it resist categorization. However, if you approach the film without preconceived notions I feel you will become immersed in this world. I found the ending somewhat abrupt and unsatisfactory for several of the characters, but let's face it, most movies end badly these days. Aside from that, it was time well spent with this little indie film. I gave it an 8 because I felt my time was well spent watching it and I would pass along a recommendation for others to check this out.

Trash Fire is such a remarkably odd film, thriller? romance? comedy? horror? It truly does have it all.

Starring Adrian "Entourage" Grenier it tells the story of a young couple struggling to stay together, partially because the guy is a bit of an a-hole (Yet oddly I related to him more than I've related to a character in years). In an effort to build bridges they travel to spend time with members of his highly religious family, but things take a dangerous turn.

Notably the performances are fantastic especially Grenier, the script is first class and some of the best writing I've seen in months and the concept behind the movie is solid (Though simple).

It's a tale about relationships, redemption and the lunacy of religion. It still surprises me how 80% of the US identifies as Christian yet the vast majority of the time when religion is presented as subject matter in movies it's shown as either dangerous or "Wacky". This always pleases me and demonstrates a firm grasp of reality by those who write these things. The inclusion of Christianity into the tale which evolves into an antagonist is fantastic and really helps the film no end.

Trash Fire though very oddly constructed is a very enjoyable film hampered only by the questionable finale. I don't think the ending is bad, but had it been better so too would my rating.

Regardless this is very enjoyable stuff for those seeking something that little bit different.

The Good:

Some incredible writing

Great characters

The Bad:

Weirdly put together film

Ending could have been better

When Owen is forced to confront the past he has been running from his whole adult life, he and his girlfriend, Isabel, become entangled in a horrifying web of lies, deceit and murder.

Can we talk about Fionnula Flanagan as Violet and AnnaLynne McCord as Pearl? I had never heard of Flanagan until a year ago, and she has been knocking it out of the park with her genre performances. So great to have her on board. And McCord, wow. One genre hit after another. I don't know how "we" got her into our camp, but it's great to have her.

The blend of horror and comedy is great, too! The comedy is dark, dark humor which works well. The horror aspect is really more about building tension. This is not a jump scare or gore-filled movie. And that suits me just fine.

It's hard to rate and review this film. It wants to be a dark comedy, but then tries to be something much more serious and emotionally disturbing as it dives into horror, yet springs back again here and there... and even some of the horror elements are quite funny.

I'd have to say this is much more of a dark comedy drama with a lot of tension and negativity. This is not a Romance/Comedy or even your typical Horror comedy. The comedy is much more situational and mostly stems from the interaction of emotionally disturbed people who loathe one another.

That said, this wasn't a B-rate production. There are some very talented actors with very believable characters and some enjoyable moments with the dark humor. It's quite twisted, but well-made. So, I give it a 6 because it never bored me and though I cringed a lot, it was enjoyable enough to deserve a positive rating. However, I doubt it has much replay value.

I wouldn't recommend this as a must-see to anyone, but if you love dark comedies and/or twisted horror and have some time to kill, I think this would entertain.