Trash Fire

Richard Bates Jr's first film "Excision" was a film that stuck with me for a long time after I watched it, it was very unique and incredibly bizarre. So when I saw that Bates had a new movie coming out I was pretty excited to see what else he was capable of. While not nearly as memorable as Bates' first film, "Trash Fire" does have a bit of dark charm and was an interesting experience.

The first thing that really stuck out to me in this film is the fact that just about all the characters are unlikable, everyone is somewhat of a jerk and everyone is pretty judgmental/critical of others. This wasn't a bad thing though, it actually worked pretty well and went smoothly with the premise of the film. As unlikable as all the characters were they were also very interesting, and were the best part of the movie in my opinion. Our main character "Owen" (played but Adrian Grenier) is mean and dismissive to just about everyone he meets and even when he's trying to be nice he still comes off as a dope. But once we learn more about Owen's family it becomes clear why he is the way he is, and that he may actually be one of the more normal people in his family.

The story was alright, although it had a bit of a "Lifetime Movie" feel, but the dialogue really sets it apart from the overly simplified movies that come on that network. The conversations that the characters have throughout the film are actually pretty engaging, something you rarely ever see in a horror film. It's a good thing that the dialogue was well done because there is a lot of it, people who are not fans of dialogue heavy films will definitely be put off for the majority of this. I thought it worked though, and I found myself intrigued to see what the characters would say to each other next.

Another thing that I think is important to point out is that this definitely isn't a traditional horror movie, in fact I've seen a lot of people make the claim that this isn't a horror movie at all. I would disagree though, while there isn't a masked mad man running around or a spooky ghost haunting people, "Trash Fire" does have a overall tone of horror and the final scene definitely creeped me out and left me with an uneasy feeling. It was refreshing to see the genre approached in a different kind of way.

This won't be for everybody, but I enjoyed it, like "Excision" it was fairly odd and a little quirky. Worth checking out for people who don't mind a lot of dialogue and a bit of a slow pace.

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

I'm not sure how this could be billed as a horror in an older day it would have been called a tragedy I guess 'horror' is the dumbed down description or for the sake of pigeon holing.

The first scene did make me laugh(as much as one person can laugh when watching a movie alone). It is a black comedy surrounding dysfunctional relationships.

I enjoyed it finding the script decent and the acting good enough not to distract. The camera-work, post-processing and lighting was well done for a film that had a small budget feel, on a technical aspect it reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. The quirkiness of the script delivered by the characters is what makes the film worth a watch. A film for types that like nothing more than escaping for a weekend to film festivals, Not entirely certain this will have mass appeal for the college-age demographic. I'd say a film for a mature audience and I don't merely mean 18+.

'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.