Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Trinkets’ follows the story of three girls who meet each other at an SA meeting. Newbie Elodie, popular Tabitha, and an outcast Moe share a common problem- they have a thing for stealing things. Despite their differences at school, they find each other at a Shoplifters Anonymous meeting and develop a sense of camaraderie that they don’t get anywhere else. All of them are going through one problem or another, but together, they make each other’s lives easier, helping one another through tough times and difficult decisions. Unlike other teen shows, ‘Trinkets’ goes into some serious issues surrounding teenagers but sustains its levity, making it an enjoyable watch. The lead trio presents a relatable dynamic, which makes us wonder how much the story resembles true events.
Trinkets is Based on Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith’s Book
No, ‘Trinkets’ is not based on a true story. It is based on the book of the same name written by Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith, who is known for her work on movies like ‘Legally Blonde,’ ‘10 Things I Hate About You’, ‘She’s the Man,’ and ‘The Ugly Truth,’ among others.
The idea of ‘Trinkets’ started as a heist story. Smith had “wanted to write a movie about a group of girls who meet in Shoplifter’s Anonymous and decide to plan a heist.” However, she found herself inept at planning and writing a heist. There were too many elements in the story that she would rather focus on, instead of creating the heist-thriller mood. She found herself more comfortable in the personal conflicts and the complicated emotions of the characters. Eventually, it turned out more like ‘The Breakfast Club’, rather than ‘Ocean’s 8’.
This interest in getting deep into the psyche of the characters and giving a broad set of emotions to them pushed her to write it as a novel, rather than a three-act screenplay that would take away a lot of space and freedom from her. When the book was picked up as a show, she found it easier to adapt it for the screen, due to the length of the story and how much more freedom TV shows enjoy in giving more space to the backstories of the characters.
For the research, she tried to find a Shoplifter’s Anonymous program but couldn’t find any. This only convinced her that the idea of SA and three girls meeting through it had not been explored before. She attended several AA meetings to get a sense of how it works and then worked it into her story. She was also cautious of giving a necessary makeover to the story to make it relatable for contemporary teenagers. She had written the book in 2013 and the show debuted six years later. A lot of parameters of teenage life evolved over the years, and she and her writing team were careful to keep in touch with the emotions of the characters while also adapting them to how teenagers live now.
Read More: Where is Trinkets Filmed?
