Synopsis
Owen and Isabel's love story simmers with spiteful rage and unfortunately for everyone, Isabel is pregnant with Owen's child. To prove to her that he can become a stable father, Owen agrees to reconnect with his only living relatives at Isabel's request. The couple take a trip to visit his perversely devoted grandmother and his sister Pearl, who was severely burned in a fire, to finally bury the hatchet. But sometimes the ties that bind can cut off all circulation.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Adrian GrenierOwen
- Angela TrimburIsabel
- Fionnula FlanaganViolet
- AnnaLynne McCordPearl
- Sally KirklandFlorence
- Matthew Gray GublerCaleb
- Ray SantiagoSheldon
- Ezra BuzzingtonPastor Sterling
- Molly McCookAimee
- Alexa HamiltonOwen's Mother
Recommendations
- 80
We Got This Covered
Trash Fire blazes with pitch-black wit and a dark, volatile story of redemption so good you'll be laughing your way straight to Hell. - 67
The A.V. Club
While it doesn’t include any literal blazing piles of garbage, Trash Fire is spiteful and unpleasant from beginning to end, using every technique at its disposal — from stinging dialogue to grotesque prosthetics to morbid black comedy — to make the audience uncomfortable. - 63
RogerEbert.com
Some of it is tonally inconsistent and the end feels rushed, but strong performances, especially from the great Fionnula Flanagan, along with Bates’ unique voice keep it engaging. - 50
Consequence
Neither Bates Jr.’s assured direction nor the strength of the performances can salvage the narrative, which feels overly convoluted and spackled far too much finery. - 50
The Hollywood Reporter
Loaded with dark humor, Bates’ script faces considerable challenges developing sympathetic characters. - 50
Village Voice
Bates (Suburban Gothic) plays with horror tropes, juggling black comedy and suspense in scenes that tease a gory release but ultimately only emphasize how much members of the creative class can underestimate their backward kin. - 40
The Guardian
Trash Fire is too quick to burn through its ideas. - 40
Variety
The performers are mostly out to sea without a paddle trying to make sense of hateful characters, but Trimbur at least shows some comic spark and strikes a few sympathetic notes.
