In Alyssa Standen’s short film Trashy, a young teen tries to shed her good-girl image on a trip home. Fourteen-year-old Naomi (Emma Reinagel) is staying with her Grandma (Diana Mishlan) for a quick trip to her small-town Ohio roots. While at the park, Naomi sees her estranged cousin, Courtney (Makayla Quillen), and her friends.
Courtney invites Naomi to hang out, but grandmother doesn’t want Naomi to be corrupted by her pot-smoking, loose friends. That night, when Grandma is asleep, Naomi sneaks out to be with Courtney. She gets a quick lesson in weed, alcohol, and making out. This couldn’t possibly end well.
“…a young teen tries to shed her good-girl image…”
Reinagel is excellent as the good girl who wants to be “trashy.” She tries extra hard to appear cool in front of Courtney and her friends as they play along with shenanigans. It’s a solid story from writer/director Alyssa Standen. The ending caught me off guard.
Trashy is a raw, refreshingly honest ride into teen rebellion. Reinagel’s captivating performance engages every moment of Naomi’s wild journey. She proves that sometimes shedding your good-girl image is fraught with problems. The short film’s look and feel perfectly capture this small Ohio factory town, and the soundtrack is killer.
"…the soundtrack is killer."
