Trust - fidati

Director Hal Hartley's second movie fascinated me when it was first released in 1990 and now I am still fascinated by it when I saw it this very night. Why do I feel this specific fascination? Because Hal Hartley's direction style is unique; this director uses his characters as chess pieces, who mentally (and sometimes physically) attack each other in a story about family life, in which love is synonym for hate.

It's a story about a mother and a father, who both hate their children, but who are fearful of losing their children anyway, because hate is all they have got...

However sad my above description may sound this movie is lighthearted and gentle and comical in a subtle way. And it is quite touching. Highly recommended for the art house movie fans of intelligent, subtle, quirky dramatic comedies.

I saw this one when I was working in a small movie theater as a student back in 1991 in Leuven, Belgium. I cannot explain why but this little gem of a movie touched me and I fell in love with all the characters (specially the main ones played by Adrienne Shelly and Martin Donovan), the modest soundtrack (loved the synthesizer score at the end), the dialogs, the humor mixed with social and realistic situations. Now, 23 years later, I had the chance to rediscover this movie by accident through a local internet movie site and honestly, after having seen hundreds of movies in all genres during the passed years, it still remains my favorite movie of all times. Thank you, Mr Hartley! One from the heart!

I caught this movie on the television network Bravo. I didn't see the very beginning but found myself glued to the machinations of the Matthew Slaughter character. I felt the performance of Martin Donavan was wonderful and I enjoyed the odd way the characters spoke with one another. The lines were rapid-fire, almost like "Moonlighting", but with a different nuance which I can't quite put my finger on. The movie was funny, but the best word for it is "interesting". It truly was a movie unlike any other I had seen, with a Coen Brothers sense of humor. I wish I knew more people who had seen it, because it is a movie that warrants discussion afterward.

I had the honor of viewing this, one of Hal Hartley's first films, last night. This being 2006, needless to say it has been some time since my first viewing of this very special film. This is the kind of movie that I recommend to certain friends and younger people I know (I first viewed it when very young). So many moments sit in my mind unnoticed until another viewing years after the last. An amazing tale of growth and awakening in a world that often does not present itself as being conducive to growth. The dialog is pure Hartley (if you are unfamiliar with his films I would recommend this as a good place to start). Halfway between John Hughes and Samuel Beckett. The actors portray their awakenings delicately and with precision. Please see this film!

TRUST (1990) *** Adrienne Shelly and Martin Donovan shine as a pregnant, naive teen who is befriended by troubled loner-type, respectively, in this sharply written satire/black comedy/and at times gimmicky bloodless acting (but that's also the warped appeal) that brings into question the monotony of dreary jobs, thankless relationships and bad parenting. Directed by Hal Hartley in his signature solemnity.