Directed by Marc-Antoine Turcotte and written by leading actress Lydia Hopgood, follows Emma’s journey, longing to find herself through motherhood. Also starring: Fraser Adams, Christie Fewry, Maeve O’Haire and Jack McLaughlin.
Starting out strong, the cinematography from Tom Laxton has such a great clarity, colour and texture to it. It immediately complements the natural air that Marc-Antoine Turcotte builds with his direction. His style feels committed to being organic, moving gradually and thoughtfully, avoiding leaning too much into a dramatic energy, and keeping a slight yet noticeable tension. There is a suspicious note in the air, which adds a curiosity to it, without making you question too much, as to distract from the story.
A story that is thoroughly anchored by the performance from writer, producer Lydia Hopgood. Feeding perfectly into that organic atmosphere, Hopgood gives a strongly grounded performance. Capturing the complexity of that fertility struggle and its impact on mental health, relationships and identity. She creates a relatable, sympathetic personality, we may not learn that much about Emma, but we also don’t need to, to understand the character, as her emotional situation is communicated so well by Hopgood. She’s paired nicely with Fraser Adams who effectively taps into the many sides to Matty, to create a realistic portrayal of that type of persona.
Within Trust Me’s under twenty minute runtime, it’s dealing with a lot of relevant, poignant issues which certainly deserve exploration, but it’s perhaps taking on a little too much. The story definitely works, the writing is well done, and it nicely balances the drama and emotion, but these are heavy topics that don’t entirely have the space to get their due. Particularly in the latter half, it feels like the road it begins to walk down gets cut off in its prime. Had that come into play earlier in the short, given that it does move quite slowly, it may have been able to resolve itself in a more resounding way. As it stands, the ending feels a touch too easy and smoothed over, making it at odds with the very complicated situation that it had waded into.
Trust Me takes on multiple vital topics and does so in an understated, relatable, moving fashion. It may not quite have the time to do them all justice, but it handles these subjects with respect and sensitivity. Particularly in the way that there’s a sincere effort from all involved to create the feel of an everyday situation. To not take away from the reality of this story, to convey its gravity and to make audiences aware of how common this experience can be. It might not always use its progression and pacing in the most effective manner, but it’s well directed, acted, written and shows a great deal of potential from everyone involved.
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