"Daldry captures the charm and beauty of gritty Brazilian life, while raising valid questions about justice and opportunism in this highly corruptible world"

Trash is an adventure story set around three charismatic, favela-dwelling youngsters who seek to solve a mystery hidden inside a dead man’s wallet.

This crime drama is directed by Stephen Daldry, a man most famous for another endearing story about defiant young boys, Billy Elliot (2001), and Trash echoes such sentiment.

The teens find the wallet while at work, as they dig for valuables amidst a local trash heap somewhere in the impoverished outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. The police soon turn up, as they snoop around for said wallet and offer a cash reward for its retrieval. But the kids, with their street cred at the forefront of their minds, soon realise there’s something valuable and highly sensitive at stake here.

As the story progresses, they hide the wallet and begin to investigate the curious codes, keys and photographs in it. Piecing the puzzle together, they run into trouble with the police and become unlikely advocates for anti-corruption in the country.

Daldry seems to carry with him, regardless of where in the world he sets up the camera, a great sensibility for poignantly conveying a sense of place and belonging. It seems embedded in his way of working, with the decision to cast the lead boys (who had never previously acted) straight out of a crowd of authentic street kids.

The director has revealed he sought to learn about the real characters’ mindset and values. His learning about their sense of justice is one of the stronger themes of the film. 

The debate surrounding such justices is an interesting talking point. The ethical view is ambiguous, and even though it condemns corruption, it shows how emblematic the practice is; how palms are greased with cash at every level in society and how opportunism seems a stronger factor than any moral priority.

The favela boys are great to watch. Their natural charm and habitual way they move in their familiar environment, swinging in and out of train windows or climbing sewers or ramshackle house facades, is swift and playful. Some of their (apparent) funny ways of speaking is lost on an English audience, of course, as most of the film is in Portuguese, but nonetheless there’s a warm humour throughout.

Martin Sheen does a fantastic job as a local American priest, often with a beverage in hand and a sway to his movements.

In truth, I really enjoyed Trash and found it exciting throughout. It has a solid plot and a big heart to accompany it. Daldry captures the charm and beauty of gritty Brazilian life, while raising valid questions about justice and opportunism in this highly corruptible world.