Trash

I never thought that garbage can be so beautiful. Indeed, in this film it is. Stephen Daldry successful squeezes an incredible set design, visualization is absolutely fantastic. From the favelas of Brazil, to the beautiful landscapes, it all looks just stunning. The thing I like is also editing, the sequences are fast and dynamic and it is just right on. If we look at the movie more closely, we can see a close relationship between the boys, playfulness of the youth, hope in a brutal world. It is dominated by the playful dynamics among them, how they learn about the world through adolescence. Although the government is corrupt, and the police puts misery and poverty beneath the low, there is hope and the will to live. Mara and Sheen are acting as missionaries who help these children, living from the garbage, to a better future. Not bad acting, but the characters... Sheen as a priest, Mara as a assistant, it seems somewhat they are missing all the action. The best I can describe, sometimes I had the feeling watching them behind a bottle of glass. I must mention the script and story is short in depth and is weary predictable, not to mention the contradictory. But nonetheless it is a well made move, worth watching, and I give it a go.

Set in the rubbish tips of Rio, two friends – Raphael and Gardo- discover a wallet that has ended up in the trash. They know it is a windfall but then the cops turn up offering a large reward and Raphael thinks there is more to this than meets the eye. So they enlist the help of a diseased sewer kid called Rato and go off to discover its secrets.

There is a lot packed into this extremely well made film. Martin Sheen appears as a Priest who is helping the poor and Rooney Mara brings some glamour amidst the rubbish of the slum. There is violence here too and some scenes that should not be in a film that describes itself as a comedy. But that said this has a bit of everything. The young boys carry the story and are all excellent – the cinematography is rather special too especially making the flotsam and detritus floating on a polluted river seem almost beautiful. It is a bit overly sentimental but no where near as much as say 'Slumdog Millionaire', and it is totally forgivable once taken in context.

I did though really enjoy this film, it is in Portuguese with a fair amount of English and it runs to 114 minutes – all of which is put to great use. I also saw someone in the credits called 'Wellington Pingo' which is the best name ever - probably. This is for those who like a bit of grit, dirt, strong storyline and a rollicking ride – completely recommended.

With a title like Trash, it is hard not to expect things like garbage piles and generic black plastic bags to appear on screen. One might even think, why would anyone watch a film named Trash? After all, Hollywood films can be trashy and a title like Trash does seem like a boding sign. Yet do not be fooled, all you title-judging mother****ers, Trash is absolutely nothing like its namesake.

Directed by Stephen Daldry, Trash is a story about Raphael (Rickson Tev) and his chance discovery of a wallet belonging to José Angelo (Wagner Moura). Together with friends Gador (Eduardo Luis) and Rato (Gabriel Weinstein), Raphael embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth behind the wallet, unwittingly becoming victims to corrupted politician Santos and policeman Frederico (Selton Mello). Adapted from Andy Mulligan's young adult fiction novel, Trash has a story that seems almost like a fairytale - it is only in the lala-land of literature that fourteen-year-old trash-pickers can succeed in exposing the corrupted ways of political figures without getting themselves killed. That being said, the film succeeds in translating this highly unlikely situation from book to screen without making it seem too contrived.

There are many things to look out for in Trash, like the superb editing and the wonderful cinematography by Adriano Goldman. From the mountains of trash piles to the grimy stilt houses, Goldman did a great job of capturing the decrepit beauty of these common wastelands. Chase scenes in particular, were edited well with great rhythm. Daldry's use of the boys' to-camera inserts would also be greatly appreciated by viewers who have read the novel. Seen through the to- camera inserts, the boys' frank statements better developed their characters, reflected the novel's multi-perspectives and doubled as a plot device later on in the film.

Although Tev, Luis and Weinstein can be rough around the edges with emotional scenes, their energy was infectious on screen. On the other hand, Rooney Mara and Martin Sheen paled in comparison, appearing more like decorative non-playable characters beside the boys. While Moura performed within expectation, the same cannot be said of Mello, who played the role of Frederico like an emotionless corpse. In fact, if you stare hard at the screen, you will soon come to the conclusion that even a dead grouper has eyes livelier than Mello's.

Acting aside, the only problem this reviewer has with Trash is Raphael's dogged pursuit for justice. When questioned about his actions, Raphael answered that he was doing so because "it is the right thing". In spite of that, it was the money left behind by José, and not the book accounting for Santos' corrupted dealings, that seemed to interest the boys. In this sense, the pursuit for justice seems more like an adventure for Raphael and his friends, rather than an act motivated by the decision to right a wrong. Then again, perhaps that was what made Trash so charming. In a world filled with dark, cynical views, the boys are a representation of what hope, perseverance and friendship can bring about.

I'm Portuguese and i speak reasonably well English. So i was able to watch this movie with no subtitles. Thanks God! The subtitling was awful, translating Portuguese to English. How can i resume this movie? Tropa de Elite meets Da Vinci Code? Weird no? No, nothing like that. This is an amazing picture of poverty, hope, friendship and trying to do the right thing, no matter what. It's hard to me to explain why i loved this movie. But i have no trouble to explain the main message: Brazil is a corrupt and dangerous country, not because of the common thieves, of the poor people, but because of the corrupt police and the rich and powerful people. A poor thief could steal a couple of bucks, a rich one could steal millions.

I was recommended this movie on several occasions by some of my Brazilian friends, and was never able to find the time to watch it. I always prioritized other movies. Still, in the back of my mind, I really wanted to watch it. I finally did, and man I was disappointed. I was expecting something as gripping as City of God, as entertaining as Tropa de Elite, but no. Trash was definitely a lot worse than these two movies. I don't think there ever was enough tension in the movie and the characters felt a little amusing sometimes. At least that's my opinion. Not every movie can be a masterpiece, so I guess I'll judge this one as just another decent movie coming from Brazil, with the typical Favela kids vs Underworld Bosses + corrupt police. Decent. That's it.