Trash highlights the reality in which many face living in the slums of Rio. Having two Hollywood stars in the film means that there is some English in the film but the majority of it is in Portuguese.
Many compare the film to Slumdog Millionaire, as both of the films depict the trials and tribulations many face living in the slums of large global cities.
Synopsis
Trash follows the story of three abandoned orphans living within the waste ridden confines of the Rio favelas. These children have nothing and like the vast majority in the slums are homeless, living off of things they scavenge from trash piles (including food).
The boys have very hard lives and often dream of leaving the slums, becoming rich and famous.
One day they end up finding something which can ultimately turn their futures around, possibly a ticket out of the favelas.
Soon after, boys have to make touch decisions which may have life-or-death consequences.
Important Themes
Altogether Trash touches on a wide array of issues smartly throughout the entirety of the 114 minutes runtime. The most obvious being the dire conditions of the Rio favelas and the total lack of infrastructure in certain parts of the city.
Rio slums lack sewage and running water, and 30% of the entire city is not connected to a formal sanitation system (while only half the sewage from formal connections are treated before entering waterways). A 2010 Brazilian census showed that over 22% of the city live in slums (that's over 6.3 million people).
Additionally, Trash also sheds light on the massive amount of corruption seen within the Brazilian government and policing forces.
Brazilian government officials have often been under fire for taking bribes, finding themselves in the middle of scandals and passing questionable policies.
Police forces in Rio also have a rich history with corruption, the city even has it's own independent special police force called BOPE. Which translates to "Police Special Operations Battalion" in English. BOPE operatives are experts in urban warfare and act above the rule of law.
Making them almost untouchable and highly susceptible to corruption. This corruption of powers is evident throughout the entirety of the film and I was glad to see it being put at the forefront of the film.
Conclusion
All in all I enjoyed watching Trash - I never thought I would ever say that sentence.
The film did a great job of bringing pressing issues up to the table and showing the realities of life in the favelas.
Often media and international bodies look the other way when it comes to human rights abuses in South America. As Latin American affairs are largely ignored by mainstream media outlets when it comes to international news.
While the film touches on a melting pot of issues, to the core Trash is a film that tells of a story of wit, friendship and defying the odds.
The comradeship between the three boys shows the beautiful side of humanity even in the darkest of settings.
It is a story of courage and belief. To this day Trash is still considered to be a vastly underrated film.
