Trash Baby

By: Mariah Thomas

Trash Baby, directed by Jacy Mairs, is a SXSW highlight for me. Going off of the title, I had no idea what to expect as the next hour and forty minutes unfolded. It is a simple story that drops you off into the world of a young girl navigating what it is to become a young woman. When future conversations of great coming-of-age movies occur, Trash Baby is sure to be mentioned.

This film follows twelve-year-old Stevie (Esther Harrison) as another summer stuck at home watching her younger brother begins. Stevie is on the cusp of holding onto her child-like ways and yearning to seem older. Stevie and her friend Maria (Riva Ren Martin) are intrigued by two older girls who also live in Pine Park. While one of the girls seems revolted by their presence, the other, Edie (Chloe Kramer), is inviting. She thrives off of being viewed as the cool older girl. As Stevie is tasked with watching her younger brother while her mom (Brianna Paige Dague) works, she begins to hang out more with the older kids in Pine Park. The group consists of Edie, a few other girls and a handful of rotating boys in their late teens to early twenties. Stevie grows fascinated with the attention she gets from Edie and craves the approval of the group. In this she disobeys her mother, disowns her friend Maria and detests her brother. Thankfully, Stevie’s former neighbor and friend Brad (Eddie Wollrabe) is part of the group and keeps her from pivoting too far at times. Although she is enamored by the glamor, Stevie soon grows terrified by seeing the troubling truths of growing up. She teeters between the chaos of spending her summer riding bikes and sleepovers on trampolines, to putting on makeup and stuffing her bra.

A simple moment I really enjoyed was Stevie’s mother seeing her in makeup for the first time. Before the true chaos ensues, she is just happy to see her daughter begin that transition into tweenhood. She isn’t upset with her or makes it a big deal. She stumbles upon her kissing the mirror and lightly teases her for it before dropping the topic. The tone of this film is just witnessing the trials and tribulations of a young girl navigating growing up. It is reminiscent of the movie Thirteen (2003) but offers a new take on the same viewpoint. Another element that really ties this film together is the song choices. Each song featured in the film seamlessly helps the film set a specific mood.

Trash Baby was a wonderful introduction to writer/director Jacy Mairs. She captured such simplicity to what a rather complex subject. You see this film through Stevie’s viewpoint and that tone is wonderfully set in both the writing and specific shots. For an hour and forty minutes, you follow this young woman’s summer and root for her to find herself again along the way.

In short, Stevie finds herself “grappling with the natural desire to grow up and the reality of what we lose when we do.” This film not only shines a light on the reality of growing up but celebrates the “kids who grew up amidst white trash culture in the early 2000’s.” Trash Baby redefines what that means and another side. This is a film that I highly recommend watching by anyone with a love for coming-of-age movies. It is for sure one that will stick with me for quite some time.

Covered at SXSW 2025