Oct 21 2007
Hard Candy
Hard Candy
By: Thaddeus C. Hunt
Year of Release: 2006
Director: David Slade
“Hard Candy”, currently in limited release, hit the local independent theater last night and I got a chance to take it in.
Rarely do posters ever get me interested in a movie. It’s not that “Hard Candy”s poster is remarkable by any stretch (see above), but it’s definitely stark. Seeing what appears to be a child in a red hoodie sitting on the catch to a gigantic bear trap was an interesting choice. The title of the film allows you to imagine candy as a lure to a child. Getting a little girl to step unwittingly into that gingerbread house in the evil dark woods.
But there’s something else… Could it be that we only see her back? Her posture maybe; lurking, instead of slumped in despair? Whatever it was, the poster for “Hard Candy” had me thinking. Is this kid the victim, or is she the bait for something bigger? Is that trap gonna spring on her, or did she set it for someone else? Then I saw the trailer…
The film synopsis is quite simple: Jeff, a photographer in his late 20’s (or early 30’s), trolls the Internet in chat rooms looking for young flesh. He connects with a 14-year-old girl named Hayley and after chatting for a few weeks, flirting and teasing, they agree to meet someplace public. Once there, they talk and flirt some more and before you know it, the girl is heading back to his place… alone.
The interactions between the two continue to escalate at Jeff’s place. Hayley mixes some drinks of the alcoholic persuasion, and asks Jeff to photograph her until Jeff “reluctantly” decides to grab his camera. He snaps a few shots and it becomes abundantly clear that something isn’t right. The room spins and things slow, and before you know it, the tables have definitely turned.
Jeff awakens, tied to a chair, and a very different Hayley standing before him with a small vial of the drug she used to knock him out. She’s looking for answers, lots of them, and when you see the demon in her eyes, replacing that innocent angel that shined only minutes ago, you believe she’ll do anything to get them.
That’s only in the first 20 minutes of the film, folks. What follows is an interesting endurance match to say the least. Pedophilia is one of those concepts that is incredibly black and white. It doesn’t matter what camp you are in, when an adult sexually assaults a child in any manner, it repulses the rest of the human race to the point of violent rhetoric or just plain violence.
So to have a film tackle this topic alone, I felt, was quite the gutsy maneuver. Throw in a veritable maze of mysteries, your own immediate questions, two very impressive actors, horrific amateur surgical procedures, a psychotic 14-year-old-girl (or is she?) exacting revenge on who she believes is a monster of a man (or is he?), and you have a movie that has you squirming in your seat. You’ll want to take your eyes away from the screen, but trust me, you wont.
The reason? A well written script and two really outstanding actors. Ellen Page plays Hayley, and I’m telling you folks, keep an eye on this young lady, she’s the real deal. What’s most remarkable about her is that most of the movie only involves her and Jeff on the screen alone together, which, if either of them was remotely boring or uninteresting, would cause a movie to implode on every level. But she’s got the chops to keep you riveted and amazed at the fact that you believe a real 14-year-old girl could pull off these atrocities. Page’s Hayley, is at once a sweet and lovable teen and in less than a second, a highly intelligent, vindictive, bitchy, sadistic, cunning, young psychopathic woman. It’s incredible to watch, really.
Opposite Page is the character of Jeff, who is played by Patrick Wilson. Like Page, he is essential to pulling this movie off. The character of Jeff had to have been the hardest part to play. To make the viewer think “What kind of sicko chats flirtatiously with a 14-year-old on the net and in person?” and then turn it around so that, on brief occasions, we feel bad for him and almost root for his escape, is testament to Wilson’s acting prowess. While not as overstated a Page’s Hayley, he delivers the goods, giving us a performance that is just as powerful. His transformation from cocky, good looking artist who gets anything he wants to a whimpering animal, begging for mercy and his life is thoroughly believable. The fact that Wilson actually gets the viewer feeling sorry, if only for a little bit, for a man who may or may not violate little children is a serious feat that I find more commendable.
And of course, the only other thing that could tie this all together is the writer and director of the film. Few movies pull off the old two-folks-on-a-screen-in-one-locale-for-almost-two-hours as effectively as “Hard Candy” does. So hats off the David Slade’s freshman performance as director and to Brian Nelson and his pen. They both have put forth a very compelling movie, and “Hard Candy” is a wonderful example of hopefully what is to come from these two.
Gripes span about three sentences. The film meanders in the beginning of the third act and about 15 to 20 minutes could’ve stayed on the cutting room floor. The scenes weren’t bad really, they just took the tone elsewhere for a little bit, inserting sick humor where it didn’t really belong. But the span is short and doesn’t last long before it plunges back into the darkness where it thrives. In short, there’s much more to like, than to dislike.
“Hard Candy” is far from sweet, and keeps you guessing right up to the end, leaving a lot of “grey” issues for you to puzzle out in your head as you drive home from the theater. The subject matter alone may keep you away from this film, but if you can get past it, you’ll be treated to a wonderfully crafted, horrific thriller. I certainly enjoyed it, and I’m pretty damn sure you will too. Easily one of the better movies I’ve seen this year so far.
