Trash (I) (2014) User Reviews

Uplifting Brazilian Film of slums, corruption and friendship

[t-dooley-69-386916 · 7/10 · 25 July 2015]

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.

An upbeat and less raw version of City of God

[estebangonzalez10 · 7/10 · 25 May 2015]

"Anyone who touches that wallet; I want them dead."

Ever since his feature film debut in 2000, Billy Elliot, Stephen Daldry's movies have either been nominated for Best Picture or for Best Director. He followed up the success of Billy Elliot with The Hours, The Reader, and Extremely Loud Incredibly Close. His latest film, Trash, which takes place in Brazil and is almost entirely in Portuguese, ends his Oscar nomination streak (although it was nominated for the Bafta Awards), but it does borrow some common themes from most of his past works. The lead characters are children and the story has an upbeat message despite the subject matter. The screenplay was adapted by Richard Curtis from Andy Mulligan's 2010 novel and some may find some plot similarities between this film and Meirelles's City of God, although Trash is much more upbeat and less raw. The three lead characters played by children are extremely charismatic and despite not being professional actors they carry the movie. Perhaps my greatest complaint is that given the subject matter the film doesn't seem raw enough. These characters live off the trash dump but the film looks too impeccable and clean. It's just a minor complaint because for the most part I was entertained with the story, but it doesn't come close to reaching the rawness of City of God.

The film opens with a man on the run from police authorities. Jose Angelo (Wagner Moura, who international audiences may recognize from Elite Squad) has hidden something and the police seem desperate to locate it. As they close in on him Jose spots a garbage truck and tosses his wallet towards it before he is captured. Frederico (Selton Mello) apprehends Jose and begins torturing him for information on what they are looking for. In the next scene we follow the waste truck as it is dumping the trash and several people gather around it looking for food or anything useful. A twelve year old kid named Raphael (Rickson Tevez) finds the wallet which contains some money and a special key. He holds on to it and tells his best friend Gardo (Eduardo Luis) about his discovery. They have no idea what the key opens so they decide to tell another of their friends about the mystery. Rato (Gabriel Weinstein), who lives in the sewers knows exactly what the key is for and he wants to split the findings with them so he joins the adventure. Things gets complicated however when Frederico arrives at the dumping site and offers a reward for anyone who finds the wallet. From that point on the kids don't only have to try to solve the mystery, but try to avoid being caught by the police in the process.

The plot involving the key may seem similar to Daldry's previous film, Extremely Loud Incredibly Close, which focuses on a kid trying to discover what the key opens across New York City, but in this case we discover it pretty early on in the film, but the discovery leads to more mystery and thrills. The three lead characters are much more charismatic and the film delivers several funny moments. It is an engaging thriller that gradually build the suspense, but unfortunately the ending is a bit far fetched and stretched out. Martin Sheen and Rooney Mara have supporting performances as he plays Father Julliard and she an English teacher named Olivia who is doing volunteer work. Both end up involved in the case when they decide to help the kids out in different ways. Despite these familiar faces, the true stars of the film are Tevez, Luis, and Weinstein who bring a lot of charisma and innocence to the story. The film's message is heavy handed as it is a social cry against political corruption and it is juxtaposed against these innocent children who feel like they are being crushed by the unfair system. The film never feels raw enough to convey that strong emotional message, but it is presented in such a way that feels upbeat and entertaining nonetheless. Trash is worth a watch for the performances of these young actors and the gorgeous cinematography capturing the beauty of Brazil. There are also some very interesting and well filmed chase sequences that help build the overall suspense and thrills that the film delivers.

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Powerful subject

[sivanandrao · 8/10 · 2 March 2015]

This is a powerful drama about 3 rag pickers. These boys discovers a wallet in the dump yard which forms the baseline for the story. It involves a lot into corruption, bribe in Brazil. The senior cast like Sheen & Rooney are good. But it is basically the 3 boys who steer the movie forward. In spite of their lack of knowledge in English, the way they coordinate is superb. The only thought that carries them forward is the right path. And since they feel this is the right path, they go ahead with it in-spite of the problems they would face. I would suggest this movie to anybody. Reminds me of the City of Gods which was also very powerful. Thumbs up for the director and the 3 boys!!!

Good fun but struggles for believability

[manders_steve · 7/10 · 14 May 2015]

Trash is set in the rubbish tip mountains of Rio de Janeiro, where three amazingly talented actors of around 14 pull off more escapes from police, politicians, thug minders and their own cronies than is possibly believable.

Having skirted the societally impossible task of presenting accurately what being a real life garbage rat must actually be like, this film careers around corrupt politicians, well meaning priests, assorted hangers-on and a lot of low life the bottom of the pile attracts.

Martin Sheen as Fr Juilliard is excellent and with Wagner Moura, Selton Mello and Rickson Tevez as the young protagonists the film has heaps of energy. I got a bit sick of the endless chases up and down the insides and outsides of cramped ghetto village buildings, but they were more interesting than endless futuristic CGI end of the universe shootouts.

It's a bit too schmaltzy, a bit too long, the destination is telegraphed early and nothing really makes you think the ending will be other than as it unfolds. But it's good fun, entertaining and mostly uplifting – just don't take it too seriously.

It's a nine!

[ricardo-pinheiro · 9/10 · 5 March 2015]

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.

What is the right thing to do?

[strakl · 7/10 · 14 February 2015]

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.

With beautiful visuals, awesome editing and a great story, Trash is a film that should not be judged by its title

[moviexclusive · 8/10 · 3 January 2015]

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.

Effective subtitled drama

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 6 February 2015]

As the film starts, we see a respectable man at the funeral of a young girl before being pursued and caught by corrupt police working for a politician. He throws a wallet onto a passing trash lorry, and it ends up at the dump where it is picked up by Raphael, a young scavenger. From here, Raphael and his two friends Gardo and Rato pursue the clues which the contents of the wallet offer them, even as they are being pursued by the police.

You may see this Portuguese language film promoted as a Martin Sheen / Rooney Mara movie: don't be misled. Sheen and Mara are a bit more than blink-and-you'll-miss-'em, but not by much. This film belongs to the youngsters at its heart, and particularly Rickson Tevez as Raphael. The film is set entirely in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, and has an incredible sense of atmosphere. The kids are engaging and very naturalistic. The plot is a bit cookie-cutter, but is still effective and suspenseful.

I wasn't terribly convinced by the ending, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

You'll find yourself talking out loud in the cinema

[sam-228-602271 · 10/10 · 2 February 2015]

A brilliantly exciting film from start to finish. The three boys are a triumph, and the way the film handles them, and uses their emotional closeness, their friendship, is a credit to Director Stephen Daldry and his crew, as well as to the three boys themselves, recruited from the streets of Brazil. The story jumps from one level of excitement to the next in a series of clever set pieces that, at the same time as they increase the tension to almost unbearable levels, answer the questions raised by the mystery; what exactly is the significance of what the boys find, as they comb through the giant mountains of trash, trying to earn enough to eat from recycling plastic and tin? The chase scenes through the favelas are exhilarating. Literally, you find yourself talking out loud. The film is a celebration of Andy Mulligan's stunning novel of the same name.

Very Childish

[athena24 · 6/10 · 1 December 2014]

I actually don't have much more to say about this movie. It exhibits high production values, along with very good acting from all involved. But the mix of depicting the brutal and corrupted reality doesn't really fit in with the immature way the story evolves. And along the way it becomes less and less coherent.

Someone noted it being a roller coaster of feelings. Well, not for me. I could guess how it will end from the way it developed. And the mix of believable violence with unbelievable actions from the main characters made me quite calm regarding their fate, throughout the whole movie. I would give Trash an OK rating. No more, no less.

A road until the hope.

[nympharum · 8/10 · 19 October 2014]

When I watched this movie I thought how its language was so perfect to show at the people some situation about the Brazil. The corruption, the violence in the streets and the famous Brazilian way called "jeitinho". The cinematography is very good and Mr. Daldry is very good in your conduction of this movie. Rooney Mara was perfect as Olivia... and what was that double language performance? I liked of the photography... the cast... the director... the music... the costumes... the set dressing... and the script. You need watch this movie to see a bit of the Brazil situation and the road until the hope. That three boys are awesome in their roles.

Just OK. that's it!

[santiagocosme · 6/10 · 6 August 2016]

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.

Brazilian Kids vs. Evil

[billcr12 · 5/10 · 21 February 2015]

Two fourteen year old boys find a wallet at a garbage dump with money and pictures with numbers on the back. Through a series of silly and highly unlikely events, the pair are chased by nasty police who are involved with corrupt politicians. Martin Sheen; who was the reason I watched this movie in the first place shows up as a priest with a small church near the dump. Rooney Mara is his assistant, and seems to be teaching English to the children while having difficulty with Portugese. This is a badly written story with competent acting. The kids are likable enough but even without a spoiler alert, you can figure out the ending without much effort. At least the scenery of Rio is interesting, but that is not enough to recommend this film.

Film lives up to it's title

[jakewat · 6/10 · 23 November 2023]

Trash is a film with a conflict of identity. On one hand, as evidenced by the cinematography, lighting, and the casting of such prestigious actors such as Martin Sheen and Rooney Mara, it intends to be an artistic film. On the other hand, it is full of crass language, uninspired action sequences, and a bilingual dialogue, which means you are staring at the subtitles for half of the film. It is a film which doesn't know what it wants to be. A dramatic mystery akin to The DaVinci Code, or a fun action-adventure for kids, akin to Goonies.

The performances from the child actors are serviceable, but Martin Sheen and Rooney Mara don't feel like they're performing to the best of their ability. Every time Martin Sheen appears on the screen, you wish you were watching a better film, like Wall Street.

The direction is for the most part bland and unoriginal, and the only emotion it elicited apart from tedium was laughter-not even at the parts where they wanted you to laugh, but at how comically stupid all the characters were.

In the places the film deviates from the novel which it was based from it excels. The editing, especially during the scene in which the housekeeper tells the two children of how Jose Angelico (in the film named Jose Angelo for inexplicable reason) stole the money from Senator Carlos (changed from the book's Senator Zapanta).

At the end, the main antagonist of the story, a policeman, who had previously tortured Raphael in the trunk of his car, is held at gunpoint by Raphael. When I was watching it, everyone around me wanted Raphael to shoot the policeman, but he didn't. It was very strange to see them steal seed money and giving it to the people of Behala, but not shooting a police officer who all of them knew to be guilty.

Another great movie from Mr. Daldry!!

[rodcarvalho67 · 10/10 · 9 October 2014]

I was very exciting waiting for the next Stephen Daldry's movie and, fortunately, my expectations was accomplish. The movie is wonderful! I already saw it three times!

the story of three boys who live in the garbage, based on the excellent book by Andy Mulligan, is an unparalleled purity, able to thrill all people around the world. Brazilian actors Wagner Moura, Selton Mello, Andre Ramiro, ze Dumont, Xavier Nelson are excellent! The young actors who play the main characters, and who had never acted before in his life, are more sensational find of Mr. Daldry!

The movie has it all ... action, suspense, comedy bits and a lot of sensitivity. Something that Daldry is a master at putting in his films.

Do not forget to see and review TRASH! A roller coaster of emotions!

A dark Brazilian adventure

[eddie_baggins · 6/10 · 11 October 2015]

Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry's latest film focused around the younger generation is most certainly not the feel good movie you may have been expecting. After either hearing about Trash or even seeing the films front cover one may be expecting a feel good romp but Trash's greatest success and also in some ways its greatest weakness is the fact that it's not afraid to go dark, real dark making it an uneasy mix between family adventure and dead set violent thriller.

A huge step up from Daldry's last big screen adventure (although that's not a grand achievement), Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Trash see's the long serving British thespian head to Brazil to direct this effort, a film that in a wide serving way mixes elements of The Goonies, Stand By Me and other children on a mission movies into a quite complicated and often downright bleak story written for the screen by famed writer/director Richard Curtis, creator of Love Actually.

Flirting the line between a feel good tale of struggling young Brazilian kids who may just have a chance at a better shot at life than a struggle to make ends meet at the local city garbage dump and a genuine life or death good vs evil tale of political corruption mixed with some torture and murder, Trash isn't afraid to show the darker side to this party locale. From memory I can't recall a film that was so quick to show violence towards children, one particular scene involving an unbuckled backseat passenger in a speeding cop car is easily one of the more uncomfortable scenes you'll witness this year and it sets Trash apart from any of its counterparts for better or worse.

At the centre of this sometimes uneasy film in both tone and subject are 3 child performances that really make Trash a film worth tracking down. With no previous before camera acting experience, Rickson Tevez, Eduardo Luis and Gabriel Weinstein excel in their respective roles and create a trio of young lads that we can root for. Surrounded by industry veteran Martin Sheen in the token 'white saviour" role and the always impressive Rooney Mara, these boys are the stars of the show that are only matched by Brazil itself as the films biggest wins.

Trash suffers from some form of identity crisis that stops it from ever reaching a great height, clearly backed up the films weak cinematic box office haul and somewhat muted critical reception and if the film had backed itself in as either a pure adventure or a jet black thriller it may've had more chance to really breakout. With some great young performers outshining there experienced co-stars and with Brazil as alive as ever, Trash is still worth your time even though like the dump the boys live in, you'll have to wade through the garbage for your rewards.

3 non-cleanly swimming spots out of 5

How far will you go for justice ?

[sachisamster · 8/10 · 6 June 2015]

The movie reminds us of the slums in India which was the background for Slumdog Millionaire. An issue was raised whether the slums really benefited through the box office hit movie. Still have doubts whether this did too but we can applaud the efforts of raising the question of 'how far will you go to ensure justice?'or in the words of the movie 'because its right'. Hope this movie will expose the corruption in the law enforcement agencies around the world and the lone struggle of few people who are standing up for justice in these societies. Are you one of them or are you that person turning a blind eye? its a fact that the poor when received will give out most of it and the rich will always try to hoard.

A movie with important criticism that fails when it comes to female representation on the screen.

[nurit-horak · 7/10 · 20 January 2015]

"Trash" (2014) is a dramatic film that tells of three children in Brazil who collect garbage for a living. One day one of them find a wallet that takes him to an adventure involving corrupt politician, aging prison inmate and an idealistic lawyer. The three, following the male group tradition, become detectives and try to solve the mystery with childlike innocence as they refuse to stop despite the brutality of the policeman that chases them, the damage they cause to their local community and the physical violence that they have to suffer. The three children do not have much to lose, and so they are infused with a sense of saving the world that motivates them until the plot ends. During this adventure two foreigners are helping them: an elderly priest who is busy with fighting with the local authorities (Martin Sheen in a great casting) and his assistance who works as a teacher and gets inside the adventure of the children named Olivia (Rooney Mara from "the girl with the dragon tattoo "). Olivia is the only woman in a major role in the movie and she is surrounded by children, boys and masculinity. Apart from Olivia other women appears on the screen for a few seconds (other women who work in the garbage, the corrupt politician's wife, a cleaner at the politician house or the priest's housekeeper), but these women do not generally have meaningful dialogue. The movie critic the political and police corruption, and shows the hard poverty living but do not forget to be currently relevant and to correspond with the current reality of Brazil's recent demonstrations against the World Cup, but it fails when it comes to female representation on the screen. Although Olivia is a key figure in driving the plot it is not clear why she remains alone in being the only significant female character almost to the end. boyhood films tends to favor boys over girls but to me it seems as if we made some progress from Enid Blyton's books. The criticism of the film is indeed important, but it ignores the fact that women are similarly affected by corruption and poverty and draws a world without women almost completely or portray women who have no voice in the matter. Although it is a good movie with great directing, in a feminist context unfortunately there is not much to say about it.

Fighting for social justice in a harsh reality

[tiagoqaz · 9/10 · 18 October 2014]

I was not expecting much of this film. You know why? In my experience with foreign directors portraying the reality of Brazil, almost 90% of the times they get lost, they create false images, garnish the poverty, say a lot of common sense about Brazilian women, they try to show a ethnically amalgamated Brazil that has black people on top of the pyramid in the same number as white people (basically a society where racism doesn't quite exist)

This time, though, this foreign perception of Brazil's uniqueness didn't get lost in exoticism. The audience cannot possibly walk off of the movie theater thinking a black or a mulatto child have the same rights and privileges as a white kid. It seemed to me as if Andy Mulligan (novel's author) really put his efforts into researching, talking to poor people of Rio De Janeiro and understanding what they fear - what is done to them everyday.

Beware fragile viewers (won't say any spoilers): before you get to the middle of the film, there's the worst torture scene I've ever seen. It smashes your heart and makes you sick. And sadly it isn't at all exaggerated for all I know of military police's actions in Brazil. Ugh. This terrifies me.

-But we safely continue the experience of watching Trash as middle class viewers behind a movie theater screen, inside the city mall. Right.-

Stephen Daldry executed all the ideas smoothly. Cheers to that. About the screenplay, Richard Curtis adapted it fantastically. the lines weren't artificial as they are in most of the movies featuring Brazilian characters - even for Brazilian productions, actually. The camera work is truly remarkable. Felt really into the minds of the characters. (almost) felt their pain, struggle and anger.

Specifically, the acting was great. Those kids didn't let us down for a minute. This is huge for young actors and I hope those boys get all the attention they deserve for now on. Back to the broad acting: it was faultless. Wish I could say flawless, but maybe this time the script and the great number of characters with lines didn't let much space to some mind-blowing acting by Wagner Moura and Selton Mello. If you're not into Brazilian movies, you should know: these guys are close to the result of blending Bill Murray, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Al Pacino and Joaquin Phoenix altogether. (weird comparison, sorry for that)

The plot was actually a bit similar to a Dan Brown's novel, but not that intricate. It wasn't that complicated and conspiratorial to the point I'd get bored - I didn't. Several politicians and political parties in Brazil suck a lot of money from poor people and the outcome of the plot was very familiar to all of us who keep up with all this trash.

I took the morality of this movie in one of Rooney Mara's lines, when she's talking to the missionary. Won't spoiler though :D watch for yourselves.

Oh, about the common sense about Brazilian women I mentioned before: this movie does not pass in Bechdel test. Meaning no Brazilian women representation whatever the result would be. The only woman with considerable lines is Olivia (nicely impersonated by Rooney Mara) and she's foreign.

There's one more detail annoying me, I was unaware. Which is the image of a catholic missionary (Martin Sheen) in Rio's periphery. It doesn't appeal - I was not convinced. I'm a History student and this character seemed too familiar with Jesuits from colonial Era, which doesn't feel contemporaneous to us at all.

But anyway if you watch this movie there's no way you won't feel disgusted by the actions of military police (Polícia Militar - PM) in the periphery. The oppressed and poor ones are exterminated daily. PM is a fascist and terrorist machine conducted by corrupt politicians and a segregationist elite that manipulates the political tableau in favor of themselves exclusively.

Despite this reality, Trash brings a sense of hope and expectation of change that hardly occurs - right now - in this country. A year earlier, when the production started, this hope was truly there. People got out on the streets and protested against bad transportation quality, police violence.. Well, not anymore. Everyone wen't back to watching TV. To engage in politics is just too exhausting for most of the people. We've just elected the most conservative Congress since the military dictatorship 50 years ago. This is very very sad and disturbing for those kids portrayed in this movie. We're about to face 4 years (who knows if it'll actually end in 2019) of conservatism and worsening inequality.

Until then, we can think of hopeful ideas like these expressed in Trash and keep them warm, alive and militant against any form of oppression.

Trash

[s1Lence · 17 April 2019]

Unfortunately it lives up to its name. In other words, this film is, to put it briefly... Trash.

The kids carry the picture

[agreatstory · 7/10 · 21 August 2019]

Big name actors: Martin Sheen, Rooney Mara and Wagner Moura (the Brazilian cinema's Tom Hanks), fine as they are in this film, take a back seat to the three main kids. The youngsters are very good in their roles, which take up most of the screen time. But the story needs a lot of "suspension of disbelief" on the part of the audience. At one point it really was much too far-fetched for me. But there were so many positives that I just said "Oh well, I'm even going to overlook this nonsense, and just enjoy the rest."

Trash has it all!

[Hoekkie · 8/10 · 4 December 2014]

When I saw the trailer of this movie it did not appeal to me. The movie seemed like a common Hollywood action movie, but after seeing it I know that this movie has a lot to offer. The story begins when Raphael (at the age of 14) finds a wallet in the garbage and shows it to his two friends. Once the boys find out how much the wallet is wanted by the police they decide to unravel the mystery behind it, using clues from the wallet. What follows is a fascinating journey full of action, humor and drama through the slums of Rio de Janeiro. You see the raw side of the city, it feels like you are there. Also the music puts you in the right vibe. The solidarity, perseverance and the struggle to achieve justice, gives you a real connection with the three boys. Slowly all the pieces fit together while it builds up to a thrilling end. This movie seems to have a clear message to give. It makes you think about justice and well-being, but at the same time it is an easy watching feel good movie. This movie has it all!

much better than the truly awful Billy Elliott but...

[trpuk1968 · 6/10 · 28 September 2015]

When I saw that Stephen Daldry directed this it was enough to put me off watching it. However...it's well put together, well shot, edited, scripted and the young leads are superb. The poverty porn is problematic, the shots of the waste dump are aesthtically pleasing, the shots of the favela likewise. Films and other texts like this one can serve to assuage those of us living in relatively privileged conditions that actually for people living in abject poverty, well, you know, life isn't so bad at all. There's a stronger sense of community and people get on and look after one another. If you want a proper, serious, grown up film with a Latin American spin about poverty and what it does to people then look elsewhere to Pixote from 1981 or Luis Bunuels's Los Olvidados from 1946. If there's a better film than Los Olvidados on the subject out there I'd like to know what it is. All that said, I was entertained by this, I liked the points the film made about corruption on the part of the police and politicians, I liked the way it foregrounded street children as characters. Another more serious film about street children is Ali Zouaua made about 2002 in Morocco featuring a cast of Casablancan street urchins. Trash is a great movie to show young teens to get them thinking about global issues or as an introduction to world cinema but for serious social commentary one needs to look elsewhere.

Not the most entertaining, but a solid flick

[851222 · 8/10 · 23 February 2015]

Greetings from Lithuania.

"Trash" (2014) is definitely not an Oscar material, contrary to previous movies directed by a great director Stephen Daldry. This is adventure, thriller (with a bit comedy) set in Rio about a group of slum dog kids who one day searching a trash stumbles upon something that can change the path of a whole country. Soon they are on a run from those who want to get thing back while trying to solve a puzzle of what did they found.

"Trash" is a solid fun, not particularly great, but it will definitely do justice for one evening. The settings are fresh and kinda exciting, three young leads are good here, with some minor support from two Hollywood heavyweights.

Overall, this picture isn't anything really special, but it's a fine film. Music, settings, directing and acting are good, while at the running time almost 2 hours this movie drags a bit here and there, but overall experience is positive.