MOVIE: Hard Candy (2005)

Hard Candy
2005
direction: Slade, D.
screenplay: Nelson, B.

quickie:
Internet stalking gone wrong. Let’s do the twist?

general impression:
Freakish, uncomfortable. Kind of like Takashi Miike’s Audition.

lows:
Kinda long, kinda unresolved. The characters are lacking in motivation just slightly

highs:
Genuinely interesting, effectively twists an idea, pretty colors…

notes:
I genuinely, genuinely feel bad for Jeff (played by Patrick Wilson). I don’t want to start defending internet stalkers or pedophiles but Hayley (played by Ellen Page) is just pure evil.

Hard Candy explores the idea of a supposed internet stalker being caught off guard by a teenager who is just… kinda crazy. Killer crazy.

I suppose the weakness of the film is the lack of motivation of the characters. And you know I’m a total sucker for those.

I felt bad for Jeff throughout the entire film because I can’t see what he did wrong. Or maybe it was the whole point of the movie since it does spin the thriller. They effectively made Hayley evil. What deranged mind could be so harsh, cold and calculating?

Despite the slight lack of motivation of the characters, the actors did the parts pretty well. So Ellen Page is yet again a teenager who is too smart and mature for her own good. But this time… she’s nuts. Like, really nuts.

I find it hard to relate to a creature who finds delight in seeing other creatures suffer. I don’t care if Jeff finds sexual pleasure in looking at little girls (which was never even proven) or if he killed someone (which was never even proven and which he feels incredibly sorry for). There’s just no delight to be had in watching anything or anyone suffer.

So I guess that’s the strength of the film. It’s reminiscent of Audition. Both films take you out of your comfort zone. It puts a new dimension to the face of a victim and a new dimension to what… well, “evil” looks like.

I don’t recommend it for pleasure viewing (unless you like seeing people suffer) but I’d say it’s a pretty good film.

FINAL RATING:
[2] out of [5]