Hard Candy/David Slade/June 2006
Victims and predators are reversed in this gripping thriller from first-time feature-length director David Slade. Potential paedophile Jeff Kohlver (Patrick Wilson) befriends 14-year-old Hayley (Ellen Page) over the internet, but at their first face-to-face meeting the predator/prey roles he expects are suddenly reversed.
Obviously, it was never going to be an easy watch, with the topic being paedophilia. The film doesn’t pander to the audience’s sensibilities, and this is what gives Hard Candy its strength. Though it could be a simple revenge tale, it has a great deal more depth, making us think about culpability and how far vengeance for paedophilia can go before being pathological itself. The film develops in a way that means we aren’t sure where it’s going, or how it even came to be, but it’s harrowing and extremely detailed. There are moments when we are sure we know what will happen before we’re surprised yet again, an example of its strength as a thriller.
Page is superb. The unsettling close-ups of the actors’ faces means that every acting muscle must be engaged, but Page rises to the challenge and gives such a fierce performance that it’s breathtaking. Her nuanced acting is perfect, whether it’s as the shy teenager being groomed or as the calculating sadist. Wilson is excellent, expertly bringing the seemingly innocent Kohlver through stages of breakdown until the final, chilling end. Both skilfully bring the difficult topic to life.
The cinematography has a clarity and focus that few other films manage to maintain. The sharpness of the images give the film a subtly effective clinical quality. The frequent adjustments of the speed of the filming, as well as the enhancement of the colours, make the viewing engrossing. The relative lack of score is successful; we’re left with only the frantic breathing of Hayley’s captive to focus on, heightening the tension.
For all its skills, it’s not a film that most audiences will enjoy. Though the film artfully avoids nudity and disturbing imagery, it’s the implied events that occur off-screen that are the most gruelling. Despite its unsettling content, it is a film that is thought-provoking and worth the watch for some truly brilliant acting and an excellent plot.
Review Length: 365 words
Serious Rating: 8.5/10
Superficial Rating: ?/10. Patrick Wilson is so creepy that we completely abhor him, and Ellen Page is meant to be 14. Not a film to review superficially!
DISCLAIMER: Sorry it’s late, people, but another review will be out today, never fear! A momentary lapse, I swear!
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