Stars:
Adrienne Shelly,
Martin Donovan,
Merrit Nelson,
Edie Falco,
John McKay,
Karen Sillas,
Christopher Cooke
Director:
Hal Hartley
Summary: A confused and alienated, pregnant, suburban girl meets up with an enigmatic, potentially violent stranger.
TRUST tells the darkly comic tale of an unlikely romance between Maria (Adrienne Shelly), a well-meaning yet thoughtless pregnant teenager, and Matthew (Martin Donovan), a frustrated young man who assembles and repairs electronics. When Maria and her judgmental father get into a heated argument and she reveals her pregnancy, he suddenly has a heart attack and drops dead, creating a considerable amount of tension with the rest of her family. Things get even worse when she turns to her self-absorbed football player boyfriend for comfort and finds nothing but insensitivity. Meanwhile Matthew, who always carries a hand grenade 'just in case', has to contend with his mind-numbing job and the dictatorial rule of his own father. When Matthew and Maria meet by chance in an abandoned house, they form a strange bond. But these two defiant individuals need to face their manic families before they can truly deal with each other.
Director Hal Hartley's second film furthers the dry dialogue and spare settings of his debut, THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH. The result is an oddly charming film that features remarkable performances from Shelly and Donovan. With its unusual and perceptive look at the nature of love and responsibility, TRUST is easily one of the most quirky and thoughtful romantic comedies of the 1990s.