TRASH FIRE
US, 2016, 93 minutes, Colour.
Adrian Grenier, Angela Trimbur, Fionulla Flanagan, and Lynn Mc Cord, Matthew Gray Kubler, Sally Kirkland, Ezra Buzzington.
Directed by Richard Bates Jr.
Trash Fire is an evocative title. It refers to a literal fire which has destroyed a family, disfigured the daughter of the family, and deep psychological effects on the son who believes he set the fire.
The film is being described as black comedy but it is more black in its characters and situations than comic.
Adrian Grenier (Entourage) is Owen, in his 40s, cynical, seeing a psychologist (Sally Kirkland) who even goes to sleep during his sessions. He is in a loving relationship with Isabel (Angela Trimbur) but often treats her with cynicism, resents her pregnancy, suggests an abortion, but relents and proposes. She is estranged from her family, criticised by her religious-minded brother.
Isabel’s condition is that they visit Owen’s grandmother and affect some kind of reconciliation. Owen also wants to re-connect with his sister, Pearl (Lynn Mc Cord). Violet, the grandmother (Fionulla Flanagan) is a bitter woman, allegedly religious, insulting Isabel. Pearl, disfigured from the fire, hides herself and does not want to be seen.
There are unexpected complications at the end involving Violets religiosity and her hold over the local minister, stealing a python, its attacks on Isabel, Pearl killing it, Owen and some contact with his sister – and a grim body count to end the film.
1. The title? The literal fire and its lingering in Owen’s memories? The consequences? The final fire? The implications of Trash, the characters and their behaviour?
2. The American city, homes and apartments, psychologist’s office? The contrast with the family home, the rooms, the visits to the church? Under the house? The ruins of the burnt house? The musical score?
3. The film described as a black comedy – although its characters and action are grimmer than black?
4. Owen, his personality, his seizures, nightmare glimpses of the fire? His blaming himself? His bitter cynicism? His relationship with Isabel, love, harsh treatment, tensions? Her looking after him with his seizures? Her pregnancy, his reaction wanting an abortion, his relenting? The need to be reunited with his sister, Pearl? The proposal, Isabel wanting him to reconcile with his grandmother, the suggestion of the visit, his being unwilling, the couple finally going?
5. Isabel, a character, her relationship with her family, the meals with Caleb, his religious perspective, the meal, denouncing her, his dislike of Owen?
6. Owen and his visits to the psychologist, her listening and not listening, his reactions, her advice?
7. Going to the family home, the personality of Violet, eccentric, dominant, insulting? The antipathy towards Isabel and her treatment? Vicious words? The meals? Her visiting the Minister, the discussions? Her saying she had visions and voices to kill the family? The revelation that she had set the fire, killing her family, disfiguring Pearl, persuading Owen that he should take the blame and kill himself? Stealing the python from the Minister, the threat to Isabel, her confronting Pearl with the shotgun, Pearl killing her grandmother?
8. Pearl, reclusive, disfigured, resentment towards Owen? Spying on Isabel? Killing the python? Confronting her grandmother, shooting her? Shooting Owen? Her future dependence on Isabel?
9. Owen, dealing with his grandmother, Isabel wanting to leave because of the insults, his decision to stay, wanting to bond with Pearl, going under the house for the python? The discussions with Pearl, her antipathy? His seizure, Pearl shooting him?
10. The scenes of black humour, especially Owen and his attitudes towards life, his comments? The serious and grimmer aspects of the dysfunctional family?
