‘Trim Season’ review: Dir. Ariel Vida [Overlook Film Festival]

Once illegal across the country, marijuana is now legal in thirty-one US states. This reform has seen the drug grow in popularity, but has also caused a rise in ‘connoisseurs’. These days there are people who taste and analyse different varieties, sampling them in the same way that others treat wine. This has led to an increase in weed farms creating their own special blend, a concept that forms the backbone of Ariel Vida’s Trim Season. 

Set within the boundaries of a secluded marijuana farm, Trim Season joins a new batch of employees as they arrive to help prepare the latest crop. Amongst the group is Emma (Bethlehem Million) and her best friend Julia (Alex Essoe). Emma is riddled with anxiety and suspicious of everything, but she is also broke and the job pays well. Though the other new recruits are oblivious, it is clear to Emma that something isn’t right with the place, but not in her wildest dreams could she predict what is in store for her and her co-workers. 

Traditionally, films have consistently pushed the concept that ‘stoners’ are predominantly men. Cast your mind back through history and almost all the examples of cinematic potheads are indeed male. For Trim Season to be so female (and non-binary) centric is therefore a fresh angle. This is commented on during the film, the lack of male employees being an early question, which is explained away as men are more likely to cause trouble. That the women are compliant is something that the woman in charge, Mona (Jane Badler), values above everything else. Her intentions for this become known later on, but it’s clear from the casting alone (Badler being most famous for her villainous role in both iterations of TV show V) that her motivations are not purely financial. 

Trim Season takes a long time in revealing its intentions, Vida establishing the characters before throwing them to the wolves. Of all of them, it is Emma with whom the audience spend the bulk of their time, but each group member is afforded their time on screen. Aspects of each of them are revealed, which no matter how small, help to foster a sense of community both between the group and the audience too. With these fictional workers Vida strives for authentic representation that for once doesn’t feel like token casting. The group is a melting pot of cultures, pronouns, and sexual preferences, but they are all merely these things rather than their identities having a direct bearing on the narrative. 

In a switch up to movie norms (outside of a rom-com at least), it is the male characters that are in the minority. The compound has a handful of security guards, as well as Mona’s two sons, but it is the slippery James (Marc Senter) that gets the most screen-time. James is the facilities recruitment officer, travelling from city to city rounding up new workers for Mona. Marc Senter is always a welcome addition to a cast and as James he is the perfect velvet-voiced salesman. In all honesty, the narrative could benefit from further exploration with the character, especially a progression of the dynamic between him and Emma. Of all his recruits, she is the most suspicious and the early conversations between them are some of the strongest scenes. 

The pacing of Trim Season is subdued, to the point that the film itself acts as if it too is stoned. Its drawn-out story doesn’t quite fill the run time and much like the plant that the team are working on, a couple of snips here and there would make for a much more enjoyable product. However, once Trim Season gets going, there are plenty of sights to enjoy. The inevitable deaths are imaginative and memorable, Vida unleashing a host of gnarly onscreen murders. The finale has a few wobbly moments however, the momentum fizzling out again. Trim Season ends with more of a sputter than the crackle it deserves. Though not quite as enticing as the premise suggests, Trim Season demonstrates enough promise to ensure plenty of viewer satisfaction. 

Trim Season was reviewed at Overlook Festival.