Published 01/31/2025
Rating : 8/10 Recommended
Synopsis: In the year 2050, global economic turmoil has destroyed the middle class in Cape Town, South Africa, which is now divided between the ultra-rich and the extremely poor, whose squalid existences are relegated to filthy encampments besieged by ongoing turf wars. Newcomer Alex, who’s on the run from local crime boss the Rat King, is rescued by long-time street-dweller Ronald and given refuge at his compound, inhabited by a ragtag group of colorful characters. However, her sense of security is short-lived as soon after her arrival, various members of the community begin to vanish. Determined to find out what’s going on, Ronald, Alex, and their friends discover that evil Mayor Mostert is eliminating all homeless people using an experimental chemical known only as “Viper” – a substance that melts through flesh and turns human bone into puddles of goo…
Writer and Director Ryan Kruger doesn't waste any time giving us the goods in Street Trash, a 2024 independent film set in a dystopian Cape Town, where the majority of people live on the streets and pick through trash to survive. Street Trash explores themes of class warfare and evil powers trying to kill off the homeless, which starts off with a literal bang, or "bloooosh!" if you will. Scientists have come up with an aerosol that can melt a human down in minutes. The condition is...fatal to say the least.
Mayor Mostert (played by Warrick Grier) spends the majority of the film pandering to the city's elite. The Mayor is quite alright reducing the city's homeless population to a quivering mass of bone and fluid and baggy clothes. Bonus points to the garbage guys who drive up and clean the mess. It's a vile, disgusting job, but someone has to do it, right?

The film is not for the feint of heart. It's been a long time since I've witnessed bodily carnage with this kind of detail. The photography is high definition and close-up. You see every bodily fluid action in ghastly, colorful detail. Ryan's production team was working overtime to achieve this, and a what sight many scenes were. We won't reveal too much, but if you're a fan of horror than expect to see gruesome effects that rival The Thing and Hellraiser (see: Uncle Frank's reincarnation). These scenes serve as the highlights of the film. They are stomach-churning surreal transformations that deserve praise.
On that note, I am thankful Ryan decided to go for a color scheme for the "meltdowns". This is truly horrific stuff if natural colors were used, and could have proven to be too much for audiences to endure. However, the homeless spit out blues and greens and yellows which transform the sequences to something otherworldly, like something out of Kelly-Moore Paint's nightmare. How these effects were achieved is the million dollar question. My first guess is a mix of practical and CGI, although if CGI was used I can't tell. It's believable, and very well done and that's the point of it. These scenes sell the film and keep you engaged.

On the narrative side of things, the ragtag group of homeless are fun to follow. We jump into a small group trying to survive, and they bring in Alex ( played by Donna Cormack-Thomson) who is learning the basics of homelessness, like how to fight, what to eat and so forth. The film's pacing does suffer during these instances. The first couple scenes are forgivable as they lighten the mood and provide a nice contrast to the meltdown scenes which are the film's tentpoles. however, later on in the film when you expect the story to progress we return to the group's makeshift camp, and the film's pace slows to a crawl again.
One spotlight was the use of an imaginary friend who's very horny, and has a foul mouth. Again, in the beginning this creature was funny, irreverent, but as the film progresses and the creature becomes stale, overused. For its part, the script (written by Ryan Kruger and James C. Williamson) is sharp, and well-honed. Characters feel and act their part. Also, if you liked Gary Green in Ryan Kruger's Fried Barry you'll love his turn in Street Trash.
Street Trash has aspirations for many things: a buddy comedy, an over the top body horror flick, and a dystopian Blade Runner-type society. There's flashes of all three here, with some working better than others./
Street Trash will be available on limited edition Blu-ray from 17th February. Pre order on HMV & Amazon here.
Watch the trailer below!
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