#TIFF26: “TRASH MOUNTAIN” REVIEW

By David Baldwin

Gavin (Caleb Hearon) is a queer drag show emcee living in Chicago. During a show, his sister Abbi (Zooey Deschanel) calls to let him know their estranged hoarder father has died and that Gavin needs to return to his childhood town in Missouri as soon as possible to help with the funeral planning and more importantly, assist in clearing out the junk from their father’s home.

TRASH MOUNTAIN may sound bleak from the outset, but it manages to pack a lot of heart and emotion into its 90-minute runtime, not to mention many laugh out loud moments. The script – co-written by Hearon and Ruby Caster – is quick witted and has a lived in quality, likely due to the film being at least inspired by Hearon dealing with his own father’s death. TRASH MOUNTAIN does feel a bit slight in some instances, especially when it attempts to dig under surface level observations. It feels content to just hint at the deeper pains facing Gavin and Abbi, giving precious little time for any form of examination or thought that goes beyond snarky commentary between the pair at the dinner table about their upbringing. None of this takes away from how lovely a little gem the film is; rather, it just feels like a missed opportunity to have become even greater.

Hearon (who you might recognize from The Devil Wears Prada 2) is terrific as Gavin, bringing a real warmth and hysterical matter-of-factness to the character. He has winning chemistry with Jaboukie Young-White (who plays a Grindr hookup) and really soars when he plays off Deschanel, who is in tune with everything he throws at her. I wish we got a bit more depth from her and a bit more emphasis on her relationship with her husband played by Splitsville’s Kyle Marvin, but still thought she was quite effective from start to finish. Even better is Jacki Weaver, who plays Gavin and Abbi’s grandmother. Her character is overbearing and totally out of her element, and Weaver plays her with a chaotic precision that practically steals the show every time she opens her mouth.

TRASH MOUNTAIN screens at TIFF ‘26:

Fri. Sept 11 at 5:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

Sat. Sept 12 at 9:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

Sat. Sept 19 at 5:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

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#SPOTTED: RACHEL SENNOTT, SABRINA JALEES & CALEB HEARON IN TORONTO FILMING “BROOKE & SAM”

Fresh off her Gotham Awards nomination for Breakthrough Actor, Rachel Sennott is an emerging star. She floored us at TIFF ’20 with a breakout performance in SHIVA BABY, directed by Toronto’s own Emma Seligman. We loved how the Film was a witty coming-of-age story, but yet a witty Psychological Horror. Sennott was just mesmerizing as Danielle! And while the pandemic prevented her from being able to make it to the City last year, late is better than never, right?

Sennott was in Toronto a few weeks ago working on her latest, BROOKE & SAM, which centers on a young woman immersed and navigating the world of Comedy. She plays Sam and Olga Petsa plays Brooke. It is directed and written by Ally Pankiw – her first Feature as Director – who has worked on videos for Ariana Grande and Janelle Monae, plus series like The Great and Schitt’s Creek! She is actually developing a series with Dan Levy!

Synopsis:

Brooke & Sam is a female-driven dramedy about hope, love, and how humor can heal. It follows Sam, a young stand-up comedian and au pair struggling with PTSD, as she decides whether or not to join the search for Brooke, a missing girl she used to nanny. The story exists between the present, where Sam tries to recover from her trauma with the help of her friends in the comedy community, and the past, where memories of Brooke make it harder and harder to ignore the petulant teen’s disappearance; and harder and harder to get back on stage.

Comedian Mae Martin (Feel Good) produces.

We are so thrilled to have met some of the Cast who were in and around Bloor West filming a few Comedy Club scenes over a couple days. I had hoped to sign-on to be in the background as they were looking, but sadly my work schedule wouldn’t allow. Would’ve been epic seeing this Cast of comedic geniuses at work!

Also on-set were fellow Comedian-Actors Sabrina Jalees and Caleb Hearon who play supporting roles, Paige and Philip respectively. Despite the rain, they were all energy and good vibes getting ready for a day of filming. Sennott needed her Venti Iced Coffee. Us too, girl, us too!

Jason Jones, Ennis Esmer and Dani Kind also star.

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Sennott next can be seen in Slasher-Horror Bodies, Bodies, Bodies alongside Amandla Stenberg, Pete Davidson and Maria Bakalova. Looks good!

BROOKE & SAM wrapped mid-November and is a Barn 12 Inc. production. Cannot wait!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)