Divine Trash (1998)

Divine Trash

• This will be a quick review, not because this film is bad, but I just don’t have a whole lot to say about it. At ninety seven minutes, it’s pretty quick and a simple look at John Waters and his earlier films. Using interviews and archival footage, it goes over his filmmaking process and the way he was able to distribute his films to underground theaters. Not only that, but there’s tons of behind the scenes footage of ‘Pink Flamingos’, which is the physical disc that this documentary was on (thanks, Criterion!). But anyways, it gives a good insight on Waters and his life and style. You get to hear from his parents, friends, film critics, Steve Buscemi, and of course, the man himself. The thing I like the most about this documentary is that it’s not a linear story of someone from birth to death, but rather, it covers highlights of their career, and also focuses on the cast and crew they worked with. It’s more of a “making of” doc, instead of a biography. Everything is spliced together well enough to keep it moving forward with good pacing. And that’s about all I’ve got. It’s pretty good, nothing amazing, but a solid look at the Pope of Trash and his work. All hail John Waters! This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!