Brooke (Victoria Justice) and Owen (Matthew Daddario) are high school sweethearts living the dream in Trust. Brooke is about to open her own art gallery in the popping NYC art scene. She has just landed a hot up-and-coming Irish artist Ansgar (Lucien Laviscount). Ansgar’s profile and work is not the only thing desirable as he is a regular Casanova himself. Brooke has to cater to Ansgar and keep him happy because he’s her golden ticket. The other part of this power couple, Owen, is a news anchor. Owen feels unfulfilled despite having his image plastered all over town and being instantly recognized by people. Owen wants the real hits, not just silly stories to pass the time on the news. Stories can break at any time and Owen is always ready to jump at the opportunity to go after them.
Owen hopes to do something special for the two of them and go to Paris for Christmas. They have been trying to have a kid and Owen feels like the NYC stress has been a hurdle for. A little time away to explore Paris will be just what they need. Unfortunately, with the gallery opening, Brooke can’t justify taking the time off for the vacation plus she can’t leave Ansgar. Except Ansgar just put together a deal for a famous actor to buy some paintings. There’s only one catch, he happens to be shooting a movie in Paris and needs Ansgar to meet him there. Oh, and Ansgar can’t do it alone, Brooke has to come with him to handle the business end. Much to Owen’s dismay, Brooke and Ansgar head out to the city of love – leaving him jealous, alone, and fearing the worst.
Trust plays out like an extended soap opera episode. Everything is at the minimum slightly exaggerated and impractical and at the maximum absurd. Ansgar gave me tremendous ‘Aldous Snow in his earlier years’ vibes. The artist who believes sex is primal and can be had anywhere and with anyone, their marital status be damned. Trust is based on Push, a play by Kristen Lazarian. Lazarian penned Trust’s screenplay alongside K.S. Bruce and director Brian DeCubellis. Lazarian, DeCubellis, and Bruce are able to capture the feel of a stage play in Trust. The script does keep the narrative flowing and there is a good pace to Trust, it never drags too long. The awkward pauses and situations in the film feel awkward for the audience as well. The problems arise when characters just act in irrational ways and that takes you out of the film.
DeCubellis throws in some bits of creative cinematography, including clever editing and interesting shots, to keep things fresh. He also makes sure the music is constantly on your mind. Often, we get snippets of detective music that seem to be straight out of The Pink Panther. The music only furthers adds to the overdramatic atmosphere created in Trust and was a highlight of the film. DeCubellis mixes the narrative and time to show what is happening simultaneously in both Owen and Brooke’s worlds. Trust has some entertaining moments, but it just doesn’t have that staying power. It’s another middle-of-the-pack drama that will fade from the mind. That being said, there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes. It can serve as a decent date movie, but make sure neither of you get any crazy ideas from it. After all, relationships are all about trust.
Trust is available digitally now.
