Emma (Bethlehem Million) is in the proverbial cinematic pickle, having been sacked from her job, instantly hitting the “necking sauvignon blanc straight from the bottle” stage and being given notice by her roommate because of unpaid rent. However, friend of a friend James (Marc Senter) offers her the chance to make a welcome pile of cash by spending two weeks on a remote marijuana farm as a trimmer.
Heading out there with friend Julia (Alex Essoe), they meet their fellow workers for the fortnight and are introduced to Mona (Jane Badler), the music loving, weed smoking owner of the farm. It’s not long before Emma is suspicious of the whole set-up, but there appears to be no way back out until the work on the crop has been completed…
Directed by Ariel Vida, who can boast vast experience as a production designer on a wide variety of projects including Benson and Moorhead movies such as The Endless and Something In The Dirt, there’s a similar, otherworldly atmosphere to Trim Season essayed by both its location and visual approach.
Although it doesn’t build the surrounding mythology quite as richly as those aforementioned movies, that leaves enough unexplained for the viewer to fill in their own version of the blanks. This is especially true of the film’s first half, which opts for a burn matching the leisurely sparking of the farm’s complimentary joints in order to develop the characters and to allow the inherent creepiness to sink in.
It’s a particularly interesting set of characters we get to spend time with too, including the wonderfully named Juliette Kenn De Balinthazy as the congenitally-insensitive-to-pain Lex, Synchronic alumnus Ally Ioannides as chronic aficionado (and just plain insensitive) Harriet and transgender performer Bex Taylor-Klaus as the thoroughly decent Dusty, someone with a troubled past and an imperfect present wrought upon them by perceptions of gender, detailed in an effective, unnerving way without labouring the point.
An early snippet of dialogue establishes the power circles at play, explaining that female trimmers are chosen because women are less likely to steal and/or attempt an overthrow the operation, contrasting with the male muscle guarding the compound and Mona’s sons Christopher and Malcolm helping out their ma with the family business. Of course, Emma is handed the time-honoured opportunity to transform from browbeaten to bold and Million navigates the demands of the role without being either too frustrating a doormat or an unconvincing arse kicker.
Trim Season’s decision to underplay character traits around which entire movies could be built may frustrate those who want it to go big, but this reflects its confidence in less being so much more in every facet. Except one. I’m referring to the delicious, intoxicating performance of Jane Badler, who brings a wonderful unpredictability to every scene in which she appears. For those of us who can remember all the way back to her iconic turn in classic TV sci-fi V, let’s just say that Mona, in her own cryptic way, would be more than a match for Diana.
If any of the above suggests than Trim Season doesn’t ultimately deliver a satisfying hit, fans of both atmospheric oddness and bloody mayhem are advised to roll up. The cold open delivers a startling, nasty double killing and the final act blends both Midsommar and Suspiria vibes as the gloves are off both figuratively and literally for the mother of all supernatural smackdowns. All of this is played out against evocative, beautifully lit, rural backdrops, lovingly photographed and the handsome location work would form the visual bedrock of a glacially paced, backwoods drama in alternate circumstances. In this case, it’s a picturesque setting for multiple stabbings, appendage loss, unfortunates bleeding from their eyes and I’m here for it.
That said, come the climax, the proceedings turn on a dime and, given the deliberate build up, the relatively rushed payoff gives a slight feeling of not being fully earned but, to quote Mona from earlier in the movie, that’s a forgiveable offence when the rest of the production provides a long lasting high in terms of the care and quality bestowed upon it, topped with an excellent score from Joseph Bishara, which features a superb, memorably ominous musical cue accompanying a character’s change of expression. If you didn’t think things were going to go badly before that (and bless your trusting heart if you didn’t), those few seconds will make you think “Oh, they’re screwed.”
With an ensemble of strong, female performers at its core and more than a nod to inclusivity which doesn’t feel crowbarred in merely to tick a box, Trim Season rewards those who choose to inhale its exquisitely crafted product slowly and deeply.
Trim Season (2023) gets a select cinematic release on June 7th.