Trust (1990)

When high school dropout Maria Coughlin announces her pregnancy to her parents, her father drops dead on the floor. Her mother kicks her out of the house and her boyfriend dumps her, so ... See full summary »

Director:

Hal Hartley

Writer:

Hal Hartley

Stars:

Adrienne Shelly, Martin Donovan, Rebecca Nelson

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adrienne Shelly	...	Maria Coughlin
Martin Donovan	...	Matthew Slaughter
Rebecca Nelson	...	Jean Coughlin (as Merritt Nelson)
John MacKay	...	Jim Slaughter
Edie Falco	...	Peg Coughlin
Gary Sauer	...	Anthony
Matt Malloy	...	Ed
Suzanne Costollos	...	Rachel
Jeff Howard	...	Robert
Karen Sillas	...	Nurse Paine
Tom Thon	...	Deli Man
Hannah Sullivan	...	Ruark Boss (as Patricia Sullivan)
Marko Hunt	...	John Coughlin
Kathryn Mederos	...	Factory Woman
Bill Sage	...	John Bill

Storyline

When high school dropout Maria Coughlin announces her pregnancy to her parents, her father drops dead on the floor. Her mother kicks her out of the house and her boyfriend dumps her, so Maria is left alone and homeless. This is when she meets Matthew Slaughter. Matthew is an educated high school graduate with a great talent for fixing electronic devices, but he can't hang on to a job because of his principled attitude towards quality. When Maria accepts Matthew's offer to help her, they begin to form a relationship with each other in which both of them begin to change.

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Plot Keywords:

high school dropout | pregnancy | dropout | death of parent | asexuality | 

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Taglines:

A slightly twisted comedy

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 1991 (UK)

Also Known As:

A semmi ágán

Filming Locations:

Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$700,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$356,122 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Republic Pictures (II), True Fiction Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview, Hal Hartley once explained that he made the movie on the spur of the moment because he wanted to work with Shelly again immediately after making The Unbelievable Truth, so he had very little money and very little time. The movie was shot in 11 days. The reason he could do that, he said, was because so much of the direction was implied in the dialogue. The dialogue pretty much told the actors what to do.

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Quotes

Maria Coughlin: He's dangerous but sincere.
Nurse Paine: Sincerely dangerous.
Maria Coughlin: No, he's dangerous *because* he's sincere.

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Connections

References Playtime (1967)

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Soundtracks

"Symphony No. 5 in C Minor"
Ludwig van Beethoven
Courtesy of Supraphon Records / KPM Music

User Reviews

One Of My Fave Rave Indie Films!

I discovered Hal Hartley with this film and with "Simple Men". This is Hartley's greatest work and everything else since this has been second rate in my opinion. Friends have told me how much I'm like the character of Matthew, all that seething anger at the world and all.

The music, writing, acting, direction all add up to a wonderful and weird film experience. Hal Hartley's films are not for everyone and that's the way a lot of us Hartley fans like it. They are almost like a little private club of people who well...get it. Some people get his films, most don't. I've seen lots of people walk out in droves in the slower parts of some of his films. Case in point the Japanese dance scene in 'Flirt'. His films are filled with deadpan humor that reminds me a lot of the old 'Dragnet' TV series style of acting. Go see Trust and have a great time at the movies!