There's a sense of irony in actress-turned-director Carlson Young calling her latest film Trust, because it's something she asks of her audience when going along with her for the multi-genred ride that is her latest film. But is it something she actually gains?

 

Part survivalist horror, home invasion thriller, Hollywood industry takedown, and occasional comedy, Trust dabbles in a multitude of tones for its slick 90 minutes. Whilst it may not all be entirely cohesive, it certainly gets one helluva committed turn out of one Sophie Turner, who absolutely dominates the film and elevates it at every possible turn.

 

Turner stars as Lauren Lane, a popular television actress, who has essentially grown up on American television as the beloved daughter of the family-friendly sitcom Meet the Johnsons. When the film opens we learn she has been a victim to a cyber hack, her nude photos leaked and a picture of a positive pregnancy test sending the general public into a spell. Not wanting to deal with the current fallout (naturally there's much speculation as to who the father is), Lauren retreats to a secluded estate in the countryside. She's off grid, which, in genre terms, is the worst thing for the eventual predicament she finds herself in at the hands of a criminal duo (Rhys Coiro and Forrest Goodluck) who break in.

 

Lauren seeks refuge in a utility room off the main bedroom, which she finds herself locked in through a series of unfortunate events, leading her to try and find a way out.  It's a taut premise, not entirely unlike David Fincher's 2002 thriller Panic Room, only there's more at play with Trust overall, with Lauren's predicament not being handled as one may expect.  For better or worse, Trust delves beyond Lauren's room, touching on the actions of the criminals and other figures in Lauren's personal life, leaning into the notion that one person's actions can have an unknowing ripple effect on others.  Whether that was the intention of Gigi Levangie's script isn't clear, but it certainly assists in Trust being more than just your standard home invasion thriller.

 

A subplot involving Lauren's dog and the kindly woman who finds it (Katey Sagal) doesn't add too much weight to proceedings overall - apart from seemingly being used as a plot device to drive home how dangerous some of Lauren's inner circle are - furthering something of the identity crisis Trust has. Which is a shame given that when it lays focus on Lauren's situation and her desperation, which in turn only gives Turner more raw material to express, it proves quite a neat little thriller.