Caleb Hearon’s Trash Mountain Debuts at TIFF: A dramedy about grief and keepsakes

The world premiere of Trash Mountain screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday.

Caleb Hearon co-wrote the film with Ruby Caster and stars as Gavin, a young gay man from Chicago who returns to rural Missouri after his hoarder father dies. Gavin reunites with his half-sister Abbi, played by Zooey Deschanel, and the story follows the siblings as they sort through their father’s belongings, described in the film as a mountain of rubbish. The Toronto festival runs through Sept. 20, 2024 (EDT) — Sept. 20, 2024 (UTC−4).

Hearon told the TIFF audience that comedy helped him process his own father’s unexpected death but that he also wanted to show he is not only a comic: “No. If anything, I’m eager to prove that I’m not just a clown,” he said after the premiere.

Caster said she was careful about balancing jokes and grief while writing, a tension Hearon addressed onstage with a joking remark about crossing lines. Deschanel said she brought one of her late grandfather’s scarves to set to use as a prop and described such objects as conduits for remembering those who have passed.

The cast also includes Jackie Weaver, Jaboukie Young-White, Kyle Martin and Holmes, and Lilly Wachowski is listed among the executive producers.