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Hard Candy (David Slade, 2005) +
This is a modern-day variation on the Little Red Riding Hood/Big Bad Wolf Fairytale, tricked out with cyber-stocking, and played out with a combo of suspense and dark humor. Fourteen-year-old Hayley (Ellen Page) begins an internet relationship with older photographer David (Patrick Wilson), and after a quick in-person meeting, she goes with him to his home where flirtatious banter suddenly turns deadly serious. Eventually, Hayley drugs Patrick, ties him up, accuses him of pedophilia and also questions him about a missing girl, although the relationship between this other girl and Hayley is unclear. Patrick denies any wrongdoing, but Hayley increases the psychological and physical torture she's willing to put him through to make him confess to something.
Hard Candy plays out as a small, basically two-character play, but it was written for the screen, albeit by playwright Brian Nelson. It's quite clear that although the subject matter is disturbing, there is a sense of sexual tension up front and the humor maintains itself for most of the running time although I suppose there are some viewers who won't find the subject matter amusing. To tell you the truth, the filmmakers don't go out of their way accenting all the laughs, often leaving them to a tone of voice or the way a 14-year-old might say something she personally knows about sex even if you wish it not to be true. The soul of the movie is the way the young girl is able to bully and abuse the experienced man in ways that make everything seem to play out the opposite of what one might expect in real life. In fact, Hard Candy isn't really anything resembling real life, but it's good drama, with two solid performances and something of a vigilante fantasy for those who are sick and tired of watching the news every day and hearing about another child abuse/pedophilia case tearing apart a school or school district.
This is a modern-day variation on the Little Red Riding Hood/Big Bad Wolf Fairytale, tricked out with cyber-stocking, and played out with a combo of suspense and dark humor. Fourteen-year-old Hayley (Ellen Page) begins an internet relationship with older photographer David (Patrick Wilson), and after a quick in-person meeting, she goes with him to his home where flirtatious banter suddenly turns deadly serious. Eventually, Hayley drugs Patrick, ties him up, accuses him of pedophilia and also questions him about a missing girl, although the relationship between this other girl and Hayley is unclear. Patrick denies any wrongdoing, but Hayley increases the psychological and physical torture she's willing to put him through to make him confess to something.
Hard Candy plays out as a small, basically two-character play, but it was written for the screen, albeit by playwright Brian Nelson. It's quite clear that although the subject matter is disturbing, there is a sense of sexual tension up front and the humor maintains itself for most of the running time although I suppose there are some viewers who won't find the subject matter amusing. To tell you the truth, the filmmakers don't go out of their way accenting all the laughs, often leaving them to a tone of voice or the way a 14-year-old might say something she personally knows about sex even if you wish it not to be true. The soul of the movie is the way the young girl is able to bully and abuse the experienced man in ways that make everything seem to play out the opposite of what one might expect in real life. In fact, Hard Candy isn't really anything resembling real life, but it's good drama, with two solid performances and something of a vigilante fantasy for those who are sick and tired of watching the news every day and hearing about another child abuse/pedophilia case tearing apart a school or school district.