ViewGuide

Created Apr 18, 2012 10:00PM PST • Edited Apr 18, 2012 10:00PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Really Great 4.5

   Trust is not only an effectively creepy thriller. It’s one of the few films that is so dedicated to touching such a sensitive subject that it actually succeeds.

   The focus of the story is Annie. Annie is your typical innocent, naive 14 year girl. She plays volley ball on the school team, she steers away from the world of drugs and sex, and has a good, loving relationship with her parents. Things change, however, when Annie meets her first boyfriend online. The boy’s name is Charlie. The two spend hours chatting online and their relationship spans over the course of two months. One day Charlie makes a shocking revelation: He’s actually 20. He then confesses something else: He’s 25. Annie feels betrayed by his lies but doesn’t want to break off the relationship because she feels Charlie is the only one who understands her. One day Charlie asks the question: “Wanna meet up?” Anxious to meet her new boyfriend, Annie agrees. She is shocked to discover, however, that Charlie is not what he seems. He’s a thirty-five year old pedophile, coarses Annie into sex, and is the face of all evil. Following her encounter, Annie confides in a friend at school about what happened. Shocked, her friend notifies the school couselor, who notifies the police. What unfolds will hurt Annie, her family (particularly her father, who starts his own investigation and questions his job at a risque clothing company), and her life altogether.

   Something that shocked me greatly about this movie was who directed it: David Schwimmer. Yup. That’s right folks. Ross from Friends directed this film. Now this is only Schwimmer’s second directorial effort after the so-so British comedy Run Fat Boy Run so I was somewhat hesitant. But as it turns out, Schwimmer has done a lot of charity work with people who have been affected by rape and online predators. This was a personal project for Schwimmer and he directs with a sensitivity towards the subject, the characters, and the drama that surrounds it.

   Not only does Schwimmer know how to direct a drama, but he knows how to direct actors. These are some of the best performances of last year. Newcomer Liana Liberato shines as Annie. We see every emotion through her face and in her eyes. She can also emote perfectly. Catherine Keener offers excellent support as Annie’s mother, who is caught between helping her daughter heal and supporting her husband’s obsession with finding the pervert. On that note, Chris Henry Coffey, aka “Charlie”, is very convincing. He comes off as creepy but not so creepy that it’s a caricature. I believed I was watching a real pedophile interact with his young prey. As I said before, this character is the face of evil and Coffey made me hate him. Viola Davis, though a little underutilized, is very good as Annie’s couselor, Gale. Some of the younger actors proved rather weak, however. Notably Annie’s older brother and some of the popular girls. People don’t talk like that. The actor who shines greatest, though, is Clive Owen. Owen has proved his brilliance on stage and on screen and gives what is, in my opinion, one of his best performances. Watching his final scene with his daughter almost brought me to tears.

   The events that unfold over the course of the film are, basically, every that could go wrong does go wrong. I won’t spoil too much, but Annie’s whole life is turned upside down. She becomes a completely different person and all that happens to her and the people around her is completely unexpected. The way her parents react to the rape is almost in a way that they would react to their child dying. She tries to deny it was rape at first until finding out what Charlie had done to other girls. And even when she tries to get over it, her father still can’t get over it and still wants to see justice done.

   Trust is a very important film. Very few films have been able to touch a subject so successfully and with such sensitivity. David Schwimmer has crafter a hear wrenching, hard-to-watch, but still thought provoking film that speaks to its audience. I highly recommend seeing this film.

4. Acting

   Really Great 4.5

5. Male Stars Perfect 5.0

6. Female Stars Perfect 5.0

7. Female Costars Great 4.0

8. Male Costars Great 4.0

10. Film

    Great 4.0

11. Direction Really Great 4.5

12. Play Really Great 4.5

13. Music Very Good 3.5

14. Visuals Great 4.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Sordid 3.4

17. Sex Lewd 3.7

18. Violence Brutal 3.5

19. Rudeness Profane 2.9

21. Reality

    Natural 1.0

22. Circumstantial Natural 1.0

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0