Trinidad
Drama, Short Films, 05-May-2015
A lo-fi parable about a young kid in Detroit who turns to scrapping to provide for his family. Portraying poverty and struggle without sensationalizing, it treats its characters as complicated individuals -- real people faced with real choices -- not as symbols of poor urban life. The oldest sibling, Trinidad, looks after his sisters and brother because his mom works the night shift and, even when she’s off, doesn't return home. After he tracks her down, at another man's house, they quarrel about who's responsible for what. He questions how he's supposed to work or go to school when she keeps "pinning" these kids on him. "I have to do what I have to do to take care of my responsibilities," she responds. Despite the heavy foundation, there are moments of humor as when, carpooling to work, Trinidad's co-worker insists on driving so they can make up time by gunning it. “Hit 90? We gonna be in the damn ambulance.” “Man, I bet we get there on time in the ambulance." Even still, they show up late for work, and there’s no job, so he spends the day breaking into abandoned houses and searching for copper piping or anything else of value. Until, while burning a fire in an empty lot, he gets discovered by a neighbor who offers him an opportunity. Modest production values parallel the decaying setting and raw performances. A scrappy film with a hopeful heart, starring the compelling Anthony Dixon Jr. and directed by Iain Maitland, who presents a lost city and its remaining residents with great empathy.