Trust

Directed by David Schwimmer, Trust details the fallout that ensues after the teenage daughter (Liana Liberato’s Annie) of Clive Owen’s Will and Catherine Keener’s Lynn is sexually assaulted by a middle-aged man she meets online. It’s clear right from the outset that Schwimmer isn’t exactly going for a gritty, realistic sort of vibe, as the central characters’ existence is, in the movie’s early scenes, portrayed as almost absurdly idyllic (ie they’re all just unreasonably happy and content). Things do improve following the aforementioned sexual assault, however, as Schwimmer does a nice job of capturing the anguish that both Owen and Keener’s respective characters go through (and it’s also worth noting that Annie’s blasé reaction to the whole thing, ie she believes it was consensual, is certainly an interesting twist). Schwimmer’s respectful reverence for the material unfortunately does result in an atmosphere of oppressive deliberateness, with the less-than-enthralling vibe exacerbated by the decidedly movie-of-the-week bent of Andy Bellin and Robert Festinger’s screenplay. Even at its worst and least subtle, however, Trust benefits substantially from the uniformly impressive performances – with Owen’s consistently engaging and frequently stirring work undoubtedly standing as a highlight (something that’s especially true of the big speech he delivers right at the end of the picture). Trust is, in the end, a passable piece of work that might just stand as a promising new direction for Schwimmer’s post-Friends career (and, if nothing else, the film is a considerable improvement over his debut, Run Fatboy Run).

**1/2 out of ****