Trash, ladrones de esperanza

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!

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.

"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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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.

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.