Review
Hal Hartley's films are brimming with literary influence,
the characters who populate his world never too far
from a vintage hardback or a well timed quote.
TRUST is no exception.
There is a deliberate stylisation to performance and
narrative, in his work, almost theatrical.
That's not to say that Hartley isn't given to moments
of cinematic exuberance. Characters might break into
dance, or address an audience with all the command of
a Shakespearean raconteur.
In TRUST, Maria (Adrienne Shelly) has run away from
home, after a slap causes her father to drop dead on
the kitchen floor.
Matthew (Martin Donovan) wanders the streets after a
similar slap from his father, over his inability to clean
their kitchen floor, sends him running.
The two characters meet in an abandoned building,
where Maria has just sunk a six pack.
Not your usual set up for a rom-com, Maria is also
pregnant, dumped by her jock boyfriend, who fears a
newborn will ruin his chances of getting a football
scholarship.
Like a present day Dickensian novel, these two damaged
characters band together, first in a bond of solidarity,
before a plot Maguffin involving a stolen baby, conspires
to bring the two closer together.
TRUST is foremost a love story, yet far from the 'meetcute' of a dozen Hollywood rom-coms, here we find
rejection, a threat of domestic violence and endless
debates on relationships. A pessimistic view on an
optimistic story.
"Do you trust me?" asks Maria.
"If you trust me first" is Matthew's reply.
Sentiment is shadowed by indifference, Matthew and
Maria having to take a leap of faith on each other. This
sense of hope and despair tends to alienate audiences.
And yet, the film making is so assured, that you get the
feeling Hartley doesn't care.
His is rebel cinema.
Tru
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