“you might get jail time. i dunno: therapy, drugs, group discussions, notifying people when you move into a new house. how bad is that, really?”
“it’ll run my career, it’ll ruin my life”
“well, didn’t roman polanski just win an oscar?”
‘hard candy’ has to be one of the movies that caught me the most off guard, and the outcome was somehow unpredictable. i was expecting more of a grotesque lolita style love story, but its lot less of a romance, but more of a subversion of the usual power dynamics, as the younger girl becomes the predator. it’s an intense and provocative psychological thriller that is completely satisfying, and borrows some horror ‘torture porn’ concepts, and yet just uses them in a more tasteful way - as the torture is a lot more deserved. its performances from both lead actors elliot page and patrick wilson really do carry this movie for me, page has his breakthrough performance, as it’s anchored with maturity, and he has a lot of charisma while playing this lead protagonist. on the other hand, wilson portrays this morally questionable and evil man as a character who victimises himself by preying on those weaker than him. this movie is well-shot also, using loads of close shots to heighten the tension. rather than using gallons of blood, it uses suggestions to cause true thrill - such as the castration scene - we don’t see it actually happen, but it’s still an effective scene anyways. i’ve kept this unlogged for a while now, probably watched in around december time, but it’s genuinely a great thriller that more people really should talk about. the script is perfection, while it uses some one-liners which can cause a more comedic tone, it’s totally suspenseful, as the predator and prey dynamic constantly switches. it’s powerful, and surprisingly feel-good, as a girl gets revenge on a man who has the potential to ruin the lives of many. it raises some moral questions, like should it be okay for people to take punishment of serious offences in their own hands, or let the law handle with it? nonetheless, definitely worth a watch, but was just missing something to score any higher honestly.
“you might get jail time. i dunno: therapy, drugs, group discussions, notifying people when you move into a new house. how bad is that, really?”
“it’ll run my career, it’ll ruin my life”
“well, didn’t roman polanski just win an oscar?”
‘hard candy’ has to be one of the movies that caught me the most off guard, and the outcome was somehow unpredictable. i was expecting more of a grotesque lolita style love story, but its lot less of a romance, but more of a subversion of the usual power dynamics, as the younger girl becomes the predator. it’s an intense and provocative psychological thriller that is completely satisfying, and borrows some horror ‘torture porn’ concepts, and yet just uses them in a more tasteful way - as the torture is a lot more deserved. its performances from both lead actors elliot page and patrick wilson really do carry this movie for me, page has his breakthrough performance, as it’s anchored with maturity, and he has a lot of charisma while playing this lead protagonist. on the other hand, wilson portrays this morally questionable and evil man as a character who victimises himself by preying on those weaker than him. this movie is well-shot also, using loads of close shots to heighten the tension. rather than using gallons of blood, it uses suggestions to cause true thrill - such as the castration scene - we don’t see it actually happen, but it’s still an effective scene anyways. i’ve kept this unlogged for a while now, probably watched in around december time, but it’s genuinely a great thriller that more people really should talk about. the script is perfection, while it uses some one-liners which can cause a more comedic tone, it’s totally suspenseful, as the predator and prey dynamic constantly switches. it’s powerful, and surprisingly feel-good, as a girl gets revenge on a man who has the potential to ruin the lives of many. it raises some moral questions, like should it be okay for people to take punishment of serious offences in their own hands, or let the law handle with it? nonetheless, definitely worth a watch, but was just missing something to score any higher honestly.
