Short, punchy, and very indie: there's no mistaking that this small web series is very low-budget, the type of situation where someone phones up their friends and says "Hey, I have an idea." Dialogue is as swift and sharp as the editing, and the cast (including a few very recognizable names) tear up the screen with performances of vivid personality. The difference between 'Girltrash' and the 2014 feature film, 'All night long,' which served as a prequel, could hardly be more distinct. While the full-length movie is highly enjoyable, it's certainly polished and rehearsed; by contrast, these 11 episodes, each of only a few minutes, come across as very extemporaneous, and actively rejecting any observable measure of finesse. If a web series could be described as "punk girlboss," 'Girltrash' is surely it.
Despite the superficial rough edges, however, which as it stands were unquestionably intentional, there's brilliant intelligence underlying all of it. Filmmaker Angela Robinson, wearing multiple hats including Writer and Director, demonstrates an expert sense of realism and dynamics in the loose, active camerawork, and tremendous wit in penning each and every scene, character, and line of dialogue. Each episode moves along as a quick clip, definitely never overstaying its welcome and embracing pointed brusqueness at all times. In being so emphatically snappy, 'Girltrash' rather leaps at viewers' throats to grab our attention and keep it in short bursts; I enjoyed the prequel film, but even with catchy music it can't quite claim the same.
The series is so curt and purposefully messy in its writing and construction that I can understand how this may not appeal to viewers accustomed to more long-form titles. Yet the seeming disorder is never actually sloppy or accidental; Robinson knew exactly what she was doing, and her cast handily meet every demand of the tight, hard-boiled production. Meanwhile, for anyone who enjoys indie film-making, or especially short films of a notably unorthodox slant in one way or another, this is a total blast. I really liked 'All night long,' and to my delight I altogether love 'Girltrash': clocking in at all under 40 minutes, and even unfinished, this well worth checking out.
