Based on the play “Push” by Kristen Lazarian, Trust follows a young married couple as their relationship is put to the test when temptations arise in their everyday lives. Brooke (Victoria Justice) is a gallery owner looking for the best fit for her next showcase. She finds the perfect artist in the talented Ansgar (Lucien Laviscount), but he’s a womanizer and a controversial, risky bet. Brooke’s husband, Owen (Matthew Daddario), becomes skeptical of the real reason Brooke picked Ansgar for her gallery when he sees how flirty the artist is with her. Likewise, Brooke becomes worried about Owen when he constantly talks to his new co-worker, Amy (Katherine McNamara). Will they give in to temptation?
When it comes to the script, Kristen Lazarian, K.S. Bruce, and Brian DeCubellis do a fairly good job collaborating and making the plot flow cohesively. The story contains some twists and moves back and forth in time, but it is easy to follow. The three writers also do something interesting with the setting. Although parts of the story occur during Christmas time, it does not read as a holiday movie, which is a good thing. If this type of narrative used Christmas as a prominent theme, it would’ve felt like it was made-for-television.
“Brooke’s husband…becomes skeptical…when he sees how flirty the artist is…”
Unfortunately, Trust lost me with its ending. I did not feel that the conclusion served the rest of the story justice (no pun intended). I felt that this tale could have and should have ended in so many other ways and the ending that was chosen was almost a Deus Ex Machina. On the plus side, I was invested in these characters until the final few minutes, so that is a bit of a silver lining.
I love Victoria Justice as the lead. I feel that she is underutilized as a leading actress, but I’m sure she will get more work as time goes on since she is still young. Likewise, the supporting cast is also comprised of up-and-coming talent that can hold their own on-screen. For example, Laviscount’s gives off a sleazy vibe, as well as a confident swagger. How does someone have both factors? I’m not sure, but the actor pulls it off and is very believable in the role. Said duality also shows how complex the characters can be when written creatively.
Given that Trust is based on a play, one may think that the motion picture has only one setting or scenes that feel continuous. That is not the case here. It is shot in a way that would never have you thinking that you are watching a play. The story hops from New York to Paris, so your eyes do not fixate on one type of setting. This helps for those that aren’t too fond of plays, me being one of them. Yes, films are practically plays shot on a camera, but there is a different feeling that both the artistic mediums give off. As I mentioned earlier, the plot will invest anyone watching, so it is worth the time regardless of which type of art you prefer.
"…shot in a way that would never have you thinking that you are watching a play."
