- Director: Ariel Vida
- Writer: David Blair, Ariel Vida
- Stars: Bethlehem Million, Alexandra Essoe, Ally Ioannides, Marc Senter, Jane Badler
REVIEW
So, first of all, I know very little about marijuana and even less about the business of it but that doesn’t matter one bit because of all the things Trim Season is about, weed isn’t high on the list. In California, there is the lovely sounding Emerald Triangle. This area produces a large amount of the weed and business is booming (Blooming? I’m sorry). Unfortunately, the triangle also has a habit of making people disappear.
Enter Emma (Million) down on her luck and her life is a mess, after being fired from her job, her friend Julia (Essoe) suggests they go out and meet up with some other friends. A slightly nutty guy, James (Senter), introduces himself as a recruiter for the ‘trim season’, some casual work that involves trimming and harvesting the weed, all for a tidy cash profit. Despite Emma’s reservations, life pushes her toward accepting the job.
Cinematographer Luka Bazeli shoots this really well, lush greens whilst anything that isn’t green looks a little dull or washed out. The scenes that happen inside the crop are very well done, giving off a very disconcerting vibe. Director Ariel Vida also gets the most out of the locations, making sure you feel and know that something is off in the Emerald Triangle, creating a paranoid atmosphere to enhance the creepiness. Joseph Bishara once again produces a fantastic score, hitting the right notes (no pun intended) when required.
The films full cast is quite good, all the trimmers work well together as an ensemble, especially Essoe and Million whilst Badler as Mona, the owner of the crop (and most probably a witch), is absolutely fantastic.
Throughout the film, Emma’s extreme nervousness, shyness, and general uncertainty all play a part in where she ends up. We know the character finds it hard to stand up for herself and has anxiety, so the constant reminding of this becomes a little bit tedious, thankfully she does get the most amount of character development, which makes up for it.
As you get deeper into the film, the occult which had been hinted at before becomes full blown for the final act and there is nice riff on the puppeteer dance from the Suspiria remake but without the crunching ending of course. The visuals really kick off as well, with great giallo style shots and some unexpected, unflinching gore.
Trim Season eschews the typical stoner horror film for something that is gritty and more grounded (for the most part). It has plenty to say about women and their place in the world and their power. Vida has created an intriguing horror film that has more to offer than just face value.
Trim Season is available now on digital
Ryan Morrissey-Smith
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