Review: American Trash — A Haunting Dive into a Soldier’s Fractured Mind
A recovering war veteran’s life is upended when a tragic occurrence leads him to a dangerous moral struggle.
‘American Trash’: A richly emotive tale of a corroded soldier’s mind trying to find its way back into an equally-polluted society
Cast: Robert LaSardo, Lorelei Linklater, Costas Mandylor, Tom Sizemore, Gigi Gustin, Elissa Dowling, Sheila Ball, Sasha Kerbel, Johnny Ray Gibbs, Rich R. Rendon, Mark Thompson, Lance Caver, Darren Barcomb, Laura Borrelli, William T. Amos, Cuete Yeska, Leslie Ivarson, Greg Tally
Critic’s Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
Director: Robert LaSardo
Duration: 1 hour, 49 minutes
Genre: Drama, Crime
Language: English
Release: 2024
What’s it about?
A recovering war veteran’s life is upended when a tragic occurrence leads him to a dangerous moral struggle.
Review:
Love and human connection is the antidote to trauma incurred from the horrors of war. That is the over-arching theme of this moving drama about a former U.S. soldier who participated in Operation Desert Storm and sustained PTSD in the process. But can a trained killing machine assimilate back into civil society, especially when there’s mounting trouble in paradise? With this celluloid venture, real life military veteran Robert LaSardo has delivered a heart-wrenching tribute to the plight of the returned soldier, which also serves as a powerful meditation on conscience versus instinct. Plus, this robust exploration of the combat-conflicted mind explores the absolute necessity for an empathetic support system. But can even such a unit suffice when society at large is so impersonal and destructive?
LaSardo poignantly uses the clearance of trash or litter, both in a physical and symbolic manner, to make for a profound and layered narrative. Yes, after the protagonist Milles (LaSardo) drives through rundown and dirty areas of urban California, we see him picking up waste which is tarnishing even the great outdoors. Here, at a remote cave that he deems “sacred”, Milles has a chance meeting with a young lady who shares his desire for a cleaner world. Oddly enough, they bond when he recognises an interview by the notorious criminal Charles Manson that Melissa (Lorelei Linklater) plays back on a tape recorder. Interestingly, Manson, despite all his faults, voiced concern about Man’s continual destruction of His natural surroundings – a qualm that Milles and Melissa find resonance with.
Soon the kind and morally-conscious Melissa takes the mentally-beleaguered Milles under her wing and the two begin a relationship which proves to be resoundingly therapeutic for the latter. But one morning, tragedy strikes when Melissa disappears while on her way to work and Milles is undergoing treatment at the house of his physical therapist Tai (Rich R. Rendon). News of Melissa’s morbid death emerges some time after Milles, Melissa’s employer Jared (Lance Caver) and Melissa’s sister Mandy (Gigi Gustin), all discover that she is missing. The bereaved lot file a police case and sadly, the deceased woman’s parents are resentful of the fact that Melissa would take up with a financially-struggling older man. But Mandy, on the other hand, is sympathetic and accepting of Milles and the two, along with Tai, Jared and Mandy’s close circle forge a friendship.
However, Milles is haunted by memories of his beloved Melissa and recalls instances when he opened up to her about his war campaign. Though definitely affecting, these recollections could have been fleshed out to enable the viewer to better empathise with Milles’ character. Yet, the terse subtlety also works to a large extent. Meanwhile, Milles continues to come up against mean or indifferent people in his everyday life. The local police’s lack of leads regarding Melisa’s death and the growing incidents of violence in his hometown of Venice, CA, only exacerbates his frustration. But Tai and especially Mandy prove to be something of a sanctuary from this grim scenario. Still, does Milles find himself turning into a vigilante of sorts? More importantly, does he have a choice? And how will he truly achieve “freedom from the physical body”?
The use of an enigmatic character named Charles (Mark Thompson) who keeps showing up during Milles times of immense despair, adds a nice touch to the film’s narrative. Milles’ spoken words too assume a literary quality at times without being pretentious. Plus, the distinction between the beauty and calm of California’s country versus the disorder and disquiet of urban localities is well captured on camera. Though LaSardo could perhaps have used a little more voice-over to draw the audience deeper into Milles’ troubled mind, his range of human expression is effective enough. The movie aficionado might recall scenes and themes from earlier mainstream films like The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Death Wish (1974) and Jacob’s Ladder (1990). There is also a cameo by Tom Sizemore of the Saving Private Ryan fame, to whom this film is dedicated. In conclusion, it is appropriate to say that here is one sincere American movie that ought never to be taken out with the... Trash.
