Watch The Clean Up

The Clean Up is a 2012 independent drama film that tells the story of a young woman named Miranda who is struggling to come to terms with her past while balancing her responsibilities in the present. The film was directed by Anthony Burns and features an impressive cast including Catherine Mary Clark, Luca Fiore, and Julien Masterson.

The film opens with Miranda returning to her small hometown in upstate New York after spending several years in New York City. She has come back to take care of her sick mother and to attempt to rebuild her relationship with her younger brother, who she has not seen in years. However, as Miranda soon discovers, coming home is not as easy as she thought it would be.

One of the first things that Miranda realizes as she tries to reconnect with her brother is that he is struggling with addiction. Her brother, played by Luca Fiore, is a talented musician who has fallen on hard times. He is living in squalor in a run-down apartment and is deeply in debt to a local drug dealer. Miranda is horrified by what she sees and is determined to help her brother get his life back on track.

As Miranda tries to help her brother, she is confronted with the ghosts of her past. She is haunted by memories of a traumatic event that occurred when she was a teenager and struggles to come to terms with what happened. She begins to see a therapist, played by Julien Masterson, in an attempt to work through her trauma. The therapist pushes Miranda to confront her past and to let go of the guilt and shame that she has been carrying with her for years.

Throughout the film, Miranda's relationships with her family members are tested. She clashes with her mother, played by Catherine Mary Clark, over her mother's refusal to seek medical treatment for her illness. Miranda also struggles to connect with her brother's girlfriend, who sees Miranda as a threat to her relationship with him. As Miranda fights to help her family, she realizes that the only way to move forward is to confront her past and to rebuild the relationships that she has lost.

The Clean Up is a powerful and emotional film that deals with difficult themes like addiction, trauma, and family dysfunction. The film is a slow burn, with a deliberate pace that allows the characters to breathe and the themes to resonate. The performances are strong across the board, with Catherine Mary Clark and Luca Fiore standing out as particularly compelling.

One of the strengths of the film is the way it explores the complexities of addiction. The audience sees the devastating impact that drug addiction can have on a person's life, but the film also shows the moments of hope and redemption that can come when someone is willing to get help. The struggles that Miranda's brother faces are heartbreaking, but the film never reduces him to a stereotype.

Another strength of the film is the way it handles the topic of trauma. The film shows that trauma can have a lasting impact on a person's life, even years after the event occurred. The therapist that Miranda sees is a compassionate and understanding figure who helps her come to terms with her past without ever minimizing the impact of what happened to her.

Ultimately, The Clean Up is a moving and thought-provoking film that is well worth watching. It is a character-driven drama that is both intimate and universal in its themes. The film offers no easy answers or quick fixes, but instead invites the viewer to confront the difficult realities of life and to find hope in the midst of pain.