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North Shore Chicago parents Will and Lynn Cameron (Clive Owen and Catherine Keener) deal with the aftermath of their daughter’s sexual assault in David Schwimmer’s “Trust.” |
David Schwimmer’s “Trust” methodically, earnestly, painstakingly details a 14-year-old girl’s seduction by an online pedophile, then meticulously chronicles the emotional aftershocks experienced by the teen, her mother and her father.
For a while, you think the girl is the main character. But she’s not.
The father is.
“Trust,” to its credit, immerses us in the guilt of a North Shore dad who failed to serve his prime directive as protector of the family.
The drama also, to its detriment, wags its finger at a culture obsessed with turning children into sex objects. It slaps us around for not being more aware and sensitive to victims of sexual abuse.
Schwimmer, a founder of Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre, directs his second feature (the comic “Run Fatboy Run” was his first) with a zeal that almost feels like a lecture.
Nonetheless, “Trust” is a valuable, honest drama that treats its subject matter with equal parts insight and alarm.
Young and vibrant volleyball player Annie Cameron (a wonderfully cast Liana Liberato, who won best actress at the Chicago International Film Festival last year) goes to New Trier High School. She’s constantly on her phone and computer messaging friends, and we see the messages flash on the screen as if we’re reading them along with her. (Read more…)