‘Trash Mountain’ Review: Caleb Hearon Turns Leading Man in This Gentle Coming-of-Age Dramedy

TIFF: Kris Rey directs a tender gem from Hearon's own script (written alongside Ruby Caster) about the pleasures and perils of returning home under duress.

No one would accuse Gavin (Caleb Hearon) of having his life together. But at least he’s got a shape of a life, and one of his own making and desires. The Missouri native fled his small town at some point in young adulthood, decamping for Chicago, where he serves as a sardonic drag night host (Hearon, known and beloved by many for his online comedic skits, kicks off the film with some light stand-up that speaks to his humorous chops) and something of a den daddy for the show’s various performers. They’re all planning for an upcoming Thanksgiving dinner — that any of them would be leaving their found family to head home for turkey doesn’t seem to be much of a question — when Gavin answers one of those seemingly benign phone calls that turn instantly life-changing.

Such are the opening moments of Kris Rey‘s “Trash Mountain,” co-written by Hearon himself with Ruby Caster. It’s enough to steep us in Gavin’s world — and get us on his side and in his head — before steeping us in the bigger story at hand. Hearon, disarmingly funny and wonderfully observational in his comedy, here turns that into an achingly honest turn as leading man. Hearon’s jokes and routines are never mean, and neither is “Trash Mountain,” but that doesn’t mean it’s unafraid of inflicting some real pain.

When Gavin answers his phone, which has been ringing off the hook all day, it’s presumably to chat it up with his older half-sister Abbie (Zooey Deschanel), who instead hits him with the news she’s been trying to tell him for hours: their dad is gone. It speaks to Gavin’s good heart and his strong bond with Abi that he almost immediately jumps into his car to head to rural Missouri for whatever comes next. But his deeper conflicts with his sister, his father, and the situation are also present, mostly in his reticence to stay for much more than just a weekend.

Oh, sweet Gavin. Bureaucratic complications pile up, a police-officer-turned-pastor-turned-undertaker commits emotional blackmail, tempers and emotions flair, and the siblings are forced to confront the titular trash mountain: their hoarder dad’s stuffed home. This is going to take much more than a weekend.

Hearon’s natural affability is well-suited for what comes next, helping to balance broad comedy (Jacki Weaver as Gavin and Abi’s grandmother is a hoot and a half, but she can often feel like she’s in an entirely different movie), hilariously relatable sequences about hellish homecoming (a run-in with an old classmate while shopping is funny on its own and perfect within the film), and the emotional essentials of his relationship with Abi, which become the heart of the film.

The feature is Rey’s first in over six years, and pairs beautifully with her similarly tender-minded “I Used to Go Here” (tangentially, one of the last films I saw in a screening room before the COVID-19 lockdowns, and thus one I find myself thinking about quite often, and with great affection). Hearon is the star here — and what a turn by him — but he’s surrounded by a winning ensemble, especially a heartbreaking Deschanel and Jaboukie Young-White as a potential new paramour. (Lilly Wachowski was initially set to direct the film, and remains a producer.)

Hearon and Caster’s script is not given over to histrionics, and while we might recognize the general outlines and expectations of this story, that it doesn’t hinge on big! dramatic! reveals! adds to its power and potency. Of course there will be some burst-out arguments, but that’s a product of realism, not aiming to hit prescribed story beats. Even the siblings’ early directive — find Joe’s Social Security card — is resolved in the sort of way we’d expect from life itself, not something purely scripted. What’s the opposite of a MacGuffin?

That Gavin has to tackle trash mountains both literal and figurative is no surprise. Clearing out Joe’s house is just one part of his journey (production design from Matt Hyland doesn’t skimp on the trash, but there’s also warm, lived-in feeling to other spaces, particularly Abi’s family home). Hearon doesn’t get fussy here, his Gavin is allowed to be just as petulant as he is appealing, just as angry as he is sad, and there’s a candor to this storytelling that makes it plain how personal this story is for the real Hearon, as well.

“Trash Mountain” is the sort of film — tender, personal, sometimes predictable — that festivals were flooded with even a decade ago, and we’re worse off for not having this sort of outlet for rising talent. Hearon clearly has plenty more to show us, and the open-hearted nature of his work in and on “Trash Mountain” makes no bones about that. This mountain? Hardly a tough climb, and well worth the journey.

Grade: B

“Trash Mountain” premiered at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.