Being a fan of the first "Freeway" with Reese Witherspoon, I wanted to check this out. Upon first viewing, I just wasn't sure. 'Trickbaby' is not a pretty film, and it took a while to adapt, but on second viewing, after the shock wore off, I could thoroughly enjoy "Confessions of A Trickbaby." Lyonne is f_ck%ng hilarious here, her performance is fearless; she is not afraid to be seen vomiting, or shoving food into her mouth, or to be just totally 'busted' on camera. This is the first thing I have seen her in and I am an instant fan. What a performance! Though the film is sleazy and ugly at times, I found myself sympathizing with Lyonnes character, 'White Girl/Crystal'. Her life has obviously been rough, and it has made her a tough, angry girl. She is thrown into prison, where she meets 'Cyclona', another girl whose life has been a rough road. A victim of all kinds of sick abuse, she is an insane serial killer who has visions of one 'Sister Gomez', Gallo's character, who she believes is the answer to all her problems. When the girls find 'Sister Gomez' they discover that this is not the case, in one of the most twisted and perverse endings i have seen in cinema. Technically, this is not as professionally-made as "Freeway", perhaps because it didn't have the financial backing of Oliver Stone. It is hard to imagine, but this cranks up the sleaze level compared to Freeway, which was a fairly twisted film. 'Trickbaby' is a lot darker than that first film, and deals with some more uncomfortable themes, and it is clearly not for all tastes. This is the kind of film that seems to get better after every viewing. I imagine that some day, this might become one of my favorites. I recommend "Confessions" to fans of "bad girl" cinema, and to those who are just tired of all the mainstream garbage coming out of Hollywood these days.
