Step aside if you are looking for a romantic story about someone searching for an ideal love and an ideal life in a decaying western urban CA city. If yes, go watch the Hallmark Channel, because American Trash will drown you in pain and despair.
Miller is played by the terrific Robert LaSardo who also co writes and directs the film, Keith Chappelle and from the beginning of the film it should be said that he has some issues. More specifically, his troubles involve haggling traumatic memories from his time in the battle, where he was a seasoned soldier suffering from both brakes and lashes. When one is even shredded by the imagination of a brief flashback there is little hope for him or her to find substantial strength in the battles ahead since he has no periods of real life to appreciate or cherish as one longs for comfort in between the pandemonium in one’s own head.
Through planting trees, conversing about war trauma, and the recitation of Charles Manson, the lost soul of Milles is found by Melissa (Lorelei Linklater). The grief and disappointment of the death of a parent starts to dissolve into a sense of love and admiration, and with that, an unexplainable bond is formed between the two lovers. But a sudden tragic death brings Milles back into the collapsed mind he was beginning to escape.
The performance of LaSardo feels very real and organic. Watching the joy on his face slowly get erased along with the defeat that comes behind his empty stare in this moment will send shivers down your spine. He has worked extremely hard in perfecting the act of getting a lot of the message across with very little physical movement. His pain is deep, his anger runs deeper and eventually culminates to a shocking plot twist which will delight fans of horror movies. Melissa Linklater was very good in her role as well. She plays a woman trying to heal a broken man and does so through the expressive mediums of safety, care, and love. They may look like an odd couple at first but when looking closely, there two characters blend so well together and are flawed but in a way that is perfect for one another.
All people want to save Milles. But it is clear that he does not want saving. La Sardo is a loving and protective figure; however, the nice character in him makes him experience things no one wants to including the violent, the ugly, and regrettably, the sewage infested aspects of what people have evolved to be. The realization that all this vile filth resides in a soaked up city that has no true life or beauty affects the temperament of Milles in a way that is horrendous. He always gets the hope that Melissa brings forth. But the shadows do come back to stab his already strained state of mind, leaving yourself with a horrible sense of exhaustion in its wake. This is a classic case study of PTSD with features characteristic of the disease like hallucination, paranoia, and isolated loneliness.
The Eternal Love and American Trash are both examples of a person’s losing a mental battle against all odds and achieving it after a lifetime. The mental breakdown of the protagonist is depicted beautifully throughout the novel, with the story building up to a heart breaking climax that is full of unsuspecting twists and impregnated with insanity. There is nothing soft about it . Nothing nice. But nothing will prepare you for the raw, naked and unbearably painful moments throughout. There is no looking back and you wished you had coverage for every heart stopping second.
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