Unfortunately telling a tale that has become all too really and unbelievably true for so many young girls and their families, Trust tells the story of a young girl who forms and online relationship with a boy she’s never met, and soon finds herself being groomed for sex by a much older man.
Annie Cameron (Liana Liberato, The Last Sin Eater) starts out as a regular, insecure, but outwardly happy, 14-year-old-girl, who’s given a brand new Macbook Pro for her birthday, and uses both it and her iPhone, to strike up a cyber-relationship with a 15-year-old boy named Charlie; who seems infatuated with her, is “smart, really funny, encouraging, sweet” and thinks Annie is “beautiful.”
Everything seems fine, and her parents have no trouble with her chatting to this new online friend, but over several weeks Annie begins to take things too far; graduating from simple instant messaging to phone calls, even after she learns that he’s been lying about his age (and ups it a couple of times to be only a few years older than her, then a few more, and a few more); something which she obviously hides from her mother (Catherine Keener, The 40 Year Old Virgin) and father (Clive Owen, Children of Men), as she intensifies the relationship, and even begins to send Charlie pictures of herself, and have phone-sex with him.
The final straw comes when Annie finally meets Charlie in a local mall, and even though she can see he’s clearly way older than she thought he was agrees to go to a motel with him, and is subsequently raped; yet even though she doesn’t see it like that, she’s distraught when he suddenly stops calling and messaging her, and is quickly removed from school by the police, and taken to a counsellor after her best friend lets the school know what’s happened.
Then after the first half of the movie focussed on the increasingly disturbing grooming process, after what’s happened to Annie finally comes out, the second half focusses on the breakdown of the family unit that follows her actions; the way in which her mother and father suddenly lose all trust in her, feel betrayed, angry, as if they let her down themselves and failed to protect her, and are shocked that their seemingly intelligent daughter could have been so stupid.
Clive Owen’s character actually becomes the focus of Trust’s second half; as it follows him becoming increasingly obsessed with what has happened, often becoming angry with his daughter (who actually believes that Charlie loves her and isn’t messaging her simply because everyone else has got involved) and making things worse, and focussing all his efforts on finding the man who hurt his daughter.
But despite recent ad campaigns that suggest the contrary, Trust is nothing like Taken; Clive doesn’t play a Liam Neeson-style vigilante, but a father who’s struggling to come to terms with one of the most devastating things that can happen to a modern family, and he plays it perfectly. He imbues the father with every subtle and outwardly aggressive nuance needed to play the fractured and broken, multi-layered, shell of a distant and obsessive figure he becomes; a clearly caring father who’s sad, angry, hurt, determined to fix what cannot be fixed, and completely believable in every facet of what he does (what father wouldn’t handle their crisis exactly the same way he did?).
And although the rest of the cast is also strong; Catherine Keener is suitably upset and more reserved than Owen as the mother, and Viola Davis (Doubt) is perfectly placed as the calm and caring counsellor assigned to talk Annie through her ordeal; they all pale in comparison to the performance delivered by Liana Liberato as Annie; an engrossing, utterly believable, multi-faceted performance that’s utterly flawless, all the more impressive that it comes from a relative newcomer (and someone who’s actually as young as the 14-year-old she plays), and simply has to be watched to be fully appreciated.
Yet it’s not only the performances that make Trust immensely engrossing, as the strength of the writing (and the amount of research that went into the film beforehand) is evidently what keeps the movie fully grounded in reality, and believable throughout; you might find yourself wincing, constantly thinking to yourself “don’t do it”, or recognizing that characters have done or said the wrong thing for the situation, but at the same time you’ll know that this is what really happens, you’ll see why people do or say the things that they do (even if they don’t help the situation) and instantly recognize that it’s probably exactly the same thing you’d do if you were ever unlucky enough to find yourself in that situation.
After watching Trust it’s easy to feel drained, but at the same time like it was more than worth watching, like it could have helped someone, and that you might now know a little bit more about a growing problem within today’s society; sure it’s also possible that you may feel as if director David Schwimmer (yes, Ross from Friends) has been unsubtly beating you around the head to make sure you understand his message and protect your kids from the horrors of the online, and outside, world, but Trust is so well written, so well directed, and so perfectly acted, that you’ll forget you’re watching a movie within minutes; because everything is so unsettling real, that you know it is happening somewhere.
Picture:
Trust comes to DVD with a solid video transfer that includes some impressive colour reproduction and contrast, fairly strong (though not stellar) detail levels; which are sometimes hindered by the slight softness imbibed by the picture; and black levels that aren’t the deepest, but are also far from poor; all combining to create a transfer that’s easily watchable, and contains few noticeable issues, but can’t quite match up to the heights of some other new releases.
Audio:
Similarly Trust’s 5.1 Dolby Digital audio track is more than adequate, yet not entirely memorable; the best thing about the track would be the computer sounds that echo through the sound-field and make you take notice every time a new instant message or text has been received from Charlie (using sounds that any Mac/iPhone user will be all too familiar with), couple with pitch perfect dialogue that never misses a beat or quietly delivered line.
There is a small amount of ambience to be heard seeping through the rear channels (though nothing too extensive or noteworthy), and some of the music used does spread through every channel, yet Trust’s main delivery is focussed on the front and centre channels; delivering a mix that’s not entirely immersive, but handles everything it needs to with ease.
Extras:
While it may seem like slim pickings to begin with, as Trust only comes to DVD with one special feature; a making of; it’s one single piece of bonus material is actually a well crafted one (lasting 16 minutes) that’s worth a watch, contains interviews with all of the major cast members, and director David Schwimmer, discussing filming, what it was like working with one another, what made this film so important to them , and even the amount of research that was undertaken in order to make the film as realistic as it possibly could be.
So while there may not be a multitude of special features available on the Trust DVD, there’s no filler, but simply a well crafted making of featurette that clearly belongs on the disc, provides plenty of background information, and is just about all you need to accompany a melodrama such as this.
The Bottom Line:
Some people have complained that Schwimmer’s approach isn’t subtle enough, and that it feels as if he’s battering you into listening to him try and raise awareness of this ever-growing problem, but ask yourself, is that a bad thing? I also don’t think he does; he simply lays out a film that portrays a situation which is unfortunately becoming more and more common for families across the world, a sickening and disturbing situation that you think will never happen to you, but if you watch Trust, you’ll see just how easily it can happen, as it’s nothing if not disturbingly real.
The writing is flawless the acting is perfect (especially from the excellent Liana Liberato, and the ever-strong Clive Owen), and Trust is just about as strong and powerful as a melodrama can get; it’s not just a film you should watch, but a film you have to watch; particularly if you have young children.
The DVD release is also suitably strong, and although there’s nothing on it in terms of quality that’s stand-out brilliant, the picture and audio are both above average, and the making of featurette is suitably well crafted and informative; making for a disc that’s perfectly capable of transporting such a solidly good movie into anyones home or school.
And schools are where this film should be played, because it’s so real, so engaging, and speaks to youngsters so well (the pop-up messages that appear on screen showing Annie and Charlie’s relationship are a stroke of genius, perfectly encapsulate the way kids communicate, and effortlessly showcase an entire relationship without the need for boring exposition) that it’s as much an educational warning as it is a successful melodrama, and works just as well; in fact young children and pre-teens who normally detest family dramas have been so drawn in to Trust that’s it’s a must watch for both them, and their parents alike.
I do have to say that I strongly disagree with the BBFC’s classification of Trust as a 15, solely because of its educational value (and the fact that it’s much more suited to both parents, and the 10-14-year-old age bracket; as most 15-year-olds will be getting slightly too mature to fall for anyone like Charlie), and believe that Trust should not only be placed on the school curriculum, but be made compulsory viewing for all children; every teenager should see this film.
If you’re young Trust is perfect for you; because it’s a brilliantly engaging movie that showcases just how surprisingly easy it is to fall victim to a sexual predator; but if you’re older, if you’re a parent, or if you simply want to watch a good film, Trust is also perfect for you; because it’s not only brilliant written and acted, but shows just to watch out for when you have a young child ‘chatting’ online, and how their mistakes can affect not only their entire lives, but lead to the breakdown of the family unit.
In short, Trust is a true must-watch for everyone; parents, children, and even people who say they don’t normally like movies. Watch this film.
