After curious and vulnerable teenager Annie (Liana Liberato) falls into a trap set by an online sexual predator, her family begins to disintegrate, uncertain how to cope with such a devastating tragedy. Utterly consumed by rage, her father (Clive Owen) sets out seeking vengeance.
Have you ever ate a sandwich that was an just ordinary, but later on in the day, you just can’t get that particular sandwich out of your head. It wasn’t the best sandwich you ever had, but it damn well satisfied your hunger. Well Trust is like that sandwich. It does a lot of things well that turns it from an interesting watch into a great one. Its subtle approach and respectful take on its subject matter are two of its brightest qualities.
A drama centered on a rape isn’t easy to handle, specifically when it involves young teenage girl. Often times the film gets off track and spends too much time getting revenge on the rapist rather than exploring the wounds they leave on the victim and the people around her. Trust handles the matter in a tragically twisted way, keeping the rapist hidden away off screen outside of its brief yet terrifying moment. It puts the young girl into the spotlight and forces the audience to watch her become lost in a wall of manipulation. It’s a struggle to watch because you want to knock some sense into her, but it helps establish a connection with her father. He constantly wonders what went wrong, how she let this happen, and worst of all how he couldn’t save her. The key in the middle of all this mess is that you never feel cheated out of the film; it doesn’t ever turn into something glamorized nor thrilling. Its focus is Annie and that’s all that’s needed. The one true misstep the film has is her mother. The mother-daughter bond will always be there, but the film never gives her opinion on the matter. This is something where all three are needed to overcome this travesty, but the film seems content with just two of them. It may sound small, but going with the theme of it all, it feels much bigger.
Much of the screen time is taken up by the daughter Annie and her father, Will. Very unknown Liana Liberato takes a big step into making a name for herself. She takes the character and gives it her all, shaping her into a confused girl who feels her world beneath her crumbling. It’s a vulnerable performance that deserves some recognition. Her father played by Clive Owen may be even better, but it’s a role that doesn’t seem too tough to do. Any sane person would go through the motions that he does. It still doesn’t hamper what he accomplishes, and in a few scenes is a different person who seems to be struggling more than his daughter with the rape. It’s a challenging connection between these two.
Trust is like a little piece of treasure you find hidden in a box of sand. It’s a small film that fulfills big intentions. It’s a film that you should watch and find entertaining in the way it is handled rather than the story itself. It will likely wind up being one of the best films that nobody ends up watching, but hopefully this opens your eyes to it and you give it a go.
Fun little Fact before I’m wrap it up. David Schwimmer directed this film. Many of you will know him as Ross of Friends fame.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
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