By Tshi Malatji
Street Trash, an homage to the 1987 film of the same name, is an electrifying body-horror science-fiction showing the prowess of Ryan Kruger’s macabre of human flesh combined with blithesome wit. From the very first scene, we are exposed to the ghastly tone of a film set in a crisis-ridden South Africa where just about everything has gotten worse. High levels of homelessness and poverty. Extreme unemployment and inequality. Extinction of rhinos and widespread substance abuse. All imaginable issues have reached a tipping point and the decay of our society has become the true terror.
Despite being an over-the-top satire and action-packed gore-fest, there is a mature and regulated narrative made excellent by a diversity of fleshed-out (pun-intended) characters. The principal protagonist, Ronald, knows how to survive the dirt-ridden Cape Town streets, with the typical weakness of being too friendly to any stray. They are supported by an off-kilter gang of misfits who live as “street people”.
Bodies quite literally melt in the film, but this is executed along with commentary of the disposability and necropolitics of a dystopian future. The plot introduces Alex, a new start to their setup, who brings both fortunes and troubles. The antagonist is not a single person, but a system that entrenches the conditions of their society, represented by the city’s mayor who wants the street people exterminated.
Distasteful are the constant sexual references which serve as comedic relief, but also portray how despicable the city has become. There is a flow of violence everywhere. But nothing is as ghastly as the body virus which terrorises the street people and threatens the peaceful harmony established by Ronnie, Alex and their crew.
As a film, Street Trash is very direct about what it satirises, an essential feature of ensuring its narrative is understood as an allegory of the absurdity of present society. It mirrors the already-present fears, struggles and injustices of contemporary South Africa, including heartfelt scenes where the characters are displayed as victims of their circumstances.
There are also sub-plots that unfold around the mystery of Alex’s former crew, Ronald’s double-lives, the lab that spreads the body virus, the police’s pursuit of Ronald and the very nature of the decaying world around them. There is quite a satisfying density of material in the film which fully explores its themes and an exuberant uniqueness which achieves its creative potential.
The cameraperson makes some cameos when the characters break the fourth wall, but for the most part, the camera is a quiet observer, capturing almost all elements of horror in the city. In fact, there is such a great diversity of locations that the film makes the city feel enormous and its pains on so much a greater scale. Within the rules established by the film, all its decisions are explained. Nothing is convenient.
Therein lies the greatest strength of Street Trash. It creates a world that entices its exploration, taking viewers through a character-driven adventure with unexpectedly slow and satisfying pacing that allows its message to settle and create impact. Yet, the film is also involved in its subversion. Nothing goes according to plan. Almost everything is a joke. People are dying in dreadful ways. Once the characters finally come to terms with this reality, the film develops a heroic form of resistance against circumstance and the tyrannous cosmopolitan.
Where Street Trash does fall short is in executing that shift. Kruger is yet to master the dramatic elements of emotional storytelling as scenes that required more grit fell flat and the expected tensions associated with conflict remained unfulfilled. Sometimes, the puppetry is overdone, and the film could benefit from being a bit more selective in when it chooses to be ridiculous. As a horror sci-fi, however, the film musters as a phenomenal effort which adds to an already impressive repertoire.
Catch the film at DIFF: https://ccadiff.ukzn.ac.za/diff46/street-trash/
Screening Schedule:
19 Jul 17:00 Suncoast 6
26 Jul 17:00 Ballito Junction
3 Aug 19:30 The Labia
3 Aug 14:00 The Bioscope
This review emanates from the Talent Press programme, an initiative of Talents Durban in collaboration with the Durban FilmMart Institute and FIPRESCI. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author (Tshi Malatji) and cannot be considered as constituting an official position of the organisers.
