Trust on Blu-ray

     Now out on Blu-ray from Millennium Entertainment is Trust, or trust_, as the cover says. It is the story of 14-year old Annie (Liana Liberato, The Last Sin Easter) who befriends her dream guy (Chris Henry Coffey, Downsized) online. They spend months chatting, and when Annie finally goes to meet the boy, she discovers he is actually about twenty years older than her. Going back to his hotel room with him, she gives him her virginity in a less than enthusiastic way. Her best friend relates the story to the authorities, and most of Trust is about the impact the events have on Annie and her family.

     Do not be fooled by the slow start. Yes, a significant portion of the beginning of the film is just Annie texting the guy, and seems trite. But if you stick with it, there are great performances later in the movie. Liberato does better than expected, capturing the nuance of mixed up teenage girl feelings, including love and anger. She makes it easy to relate to her desire for the sexual encounter to mean something, even as she realizes how wrong it is.

     Clive Owen (Duplicity, Closer) gets the meatiest role as Annie's father, who wants revenge on the man who took his daughter's innocence, and doesn't know how to be supportive of her. Many thoughts war within Clive, including a need to act out in a violent way, but his emotional moments are best. For fans growing weary of Owen's recent bad movies, this will help ease that pain. Catherine Keener (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Being John Malkovich) also gives a typically brilliant performance as Annie's mother, though she unfortunately gets less focus.

     Supporting the main players are Viola Davis (Doubt) as Annie's guidance counselor, who attempts to help Annie deal with her feelings, and Jason Clarke (The Chicago Code) as the federal agent assigned to the case. Both are very talented performers, and manage to convey that in limited parts.

     It may surprise you to learn that Trust is the directorial debut of Friends star David Schwimmer. He does a relatively capable job with this gripping story. As mentioned before, the beginning section of the movie, before the statutory rape, comes off as a cheesy movie about a melodramatic teen girl. But once events begin rolling along, Trust becomes a great film, with much credit to go to the director who sets the tone wonderfully.

     Picture and sound quality are fantastic. This release is in 16x9 2.35 anamorphic widescreen with 1080p high definition and Dolby True HD. Perhaps I've become immune to what sets a good Blu-ray release apart, as most television and movies are now viewed in HD, at least in my household. Trust looks and sounds fantastic - just like everything else in high definition. This movie has no big special effects, so it's hard to pinpoint some great examples. But must of the lighting and tone has a dark feel, especially after the rape, as is appropriate, and the blacks are rich. The picture is crystal clear, as is the sound. As far as technology goes, there should be nothing to complain about in this release.

     There are English SDH and Spanish subtitles included. The only special feature is a sixteen minute conversation with the people involved in the film, which does give some good insight into the process and the characters. I just wish there was more.

      Besides Blu-ray, which is the recommended format, Trust is also available on DVD and both standard and high definition download. Click here to buy Trust,

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Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Trust on Blogcritics.