Hard Candy (2005) December 11, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: David Slade
You may have seen it as a ‘new release’ this year, but it’s actually taken Hard Candy about twelve months to get into theatres after playing at Cannes in 2005. Now unfortunately, it’s impossible to review this film without spoiling one major aspect of the story, as its entire premise is based on an early twist. Although if you’ve read anything about this film in advance then chances are you already know what that is. Just a warning.
The story focuses around two characters, 14-year-old Hayley (Ellen Page), and 32-year-old Jeff (Patrick Wilson), who meet at a coffee shop after chatting over the internet. Following some relaxed conversation the two go back to his place, which is where things start to go bad – for Jeff. You see, Hayley hasn’t been completely honest about her intentions, and is in fact, much more dangerous than she first appears. Now she’s in charge, and out to discover all of Jeff’s dark secrets.
Yes, the movie does deal with the rather taboo subject of paedophilia, although this is not the only squirm-inducing aspect of the story, especially if you’re a guy. I’ve kept the plot summary short on purpose because firstly, the movie does have a simple narrative, and secondly, it would be a shame to reveal too much in mere text. Ideally it’s a movie you’d see completely ‘cold’, but in the marketing-mad culture of today that’s unlikely to happen.
There may only be five people in the cast list (two of which are bit parts, and one is merely an elevated background role), but the performances from both central roles are fantastic. Ellen Page plays well on both sides of Hayley, the innocent teenage girl, and the dangerous (albeit unbalanced) force of justice. While Patrick Wilson works hard to bring out some feeling for a character that, by traditional standards, is none too likeable to say the least.
David Slade’s visual style is amazing, often pushing the audience very close to the action, too close even, while keeping otherwise static scenes alive with camera movement. And in a movie that tells a tale of evil against evil, I think it’s a compliment to Brian Nelson’s script, and Slade’s direction, that you can actually sympathise for either of these characters. Especially Jeff for obvious reasons, but there’s this great moral ambiguity to the character of Hayley too, which means that although she is technically acting on the side of right, she’s doing it in all the wrong ways.
So not an easy watch, but that’s also one of the things that should entice people to the film, because it’s way more uncomfortable and gripping than any of the so-called modern horrors. There’s no stupid slasher character chasing teens around the woods with nothing but a smash-cut and an orchestral cue at their disposal. This is real, and it’s all happening right in front of your eyes. And while it suffers from some slightly unrealistic turns and an over-emphasised ending (maybe slightly too black and white for a movie that deals in grey), it’s still one of the most unique, sinister, and uncompromising movies of the year.
Comments»
no comments yet - be the first?