From The Hollywood Reporter · Jourdain Searles · · 1m 20s
Trash Mountain
A queer man returns to his conservative Missouri hometown after his father's death to face family dysfunction and a literal mountain of hoarded possessions.
In brief
A queer man returns to his conservative Missouri hometown after his father's death to face family dysfunction and a literal mountain of hoarded possessions. Coming home as a queer person to deal with family trauma requires confronting both emotional baggage and the physical mess left behind. Originally reported by The…
A queer life interrupted
Gavin is living his best life in Chicago with his chosen family after a drag show when he gets an urgent call from his Missouri hometown. His father has died and his half-sister needs him home for Thanksgiving.
The hoarder's inheritance
Gavin's father was a hoarder, leaving behind a crowded house and a growing mountain of trash on the lawn. Gavin, his half-sister Abbi, their grandmother, and Abbi's husband must clean it all up.
Stuck in the holidays
The cleanup happens near the holidays when sanitation workers are busy, forcing the family to wait while the trash pile grows. What should have been a quick trip becomes an extended stay.
Being queer in red states
The film explores the uniquely painful experience of being queer in a conservative state, where leaving home feels like escape but family obligations pull you back.
“Being queer in a red state is a uniquely painful and complicated experience.”
Warm indie storytelling
Director Kris Rey crafts a perceptive comedy-drama that balances humor with genuine emotional complexity about family, identity, and the mess we inherit.
The big picture
Coming home as a queer person to deal with family trauma requires confronting both emotional baggage and the physical mess left behind.
