Hardy Candy features a plot that is disturbing and hard to watch, but performances that make it impossible to look away. The film is a griping psychological thriller set as a “cat and mouse” type game between a 14-year-old girl and the 32-year-old pedophile that she met online.
The movie is written by Brian Nelson (who mostly has done TV work) and directed by David Slade (a music video director making his feature film debut). Both men are involved in the upcoming big screen adaptation of the Steve Niles’ comic “30 Days of Night.” It stars Patrick Wilson, Ellen Page, and Sandra Oh (who only appears for a few minutes towards the end).
Although there are a few intense action sequences, most of the film is hard-hitting dialogue between Hayley (Page) – a charming teenager who quickly moves from victim to predator – and Jeff (Wilson) – an engaging photographer and “nice” guy who lures Hayley to his home.
The film opens with two people chatting on the Internet, and right away you get an uneasy feeling from their screen names and the tone of their conversation. After Haley meets Jeff, those uneasy feelings increase as he cleans chocolate syrup from her mouth, and then buys her a t-shirt. Slade uses the opening moments of the film to make it clear that there is something not right with the two, and Jeff is a predator who should be despised by the audience.
After small talk at the café, Hayley is lured to Jeff’s home for an afternoon of listening to bootleg rock concerts. After the two are alone in his home, Hayley quickly moves from prey to predator, and Jeff learns his past has come back to haunt him.
Page and Wilson make the movie worth watching
*Spoiler* Hayley is not some random girl that Jeff has seduced his way into controlling, but someone who has been hunting for him, and has extreme plans for getting revenge on the man she believes is a child molester and possible murderer. The fact that Jeff constantly pleads his innocence just fuels her fire, and as the movie continues it becomes hard to tell who the victim is.
Hayley (who is clearly on the right side) is cold and methodical in her torturing of Jeff (who she believes is getting everything he deserves), but Slade makes sure to keep just enough doubt lingering in the air through most of the film to make you wonder if she has the right man. *Spoiler*
The performances from Page and Wilson make the movie impossible to dismiss, and keep you guessing just where the plot might be headed. Both actors do a tremendous job with their characters – especially Page who drifts from a simple and fun teenager to someone cold and calculating. At times, she seems repulsed by her own actions, but at other times she seems to be enjoying torturing Jeff.
Wilson also does an extremely good job in what could have been a standard “bad guy” role. Right from the start, Wilson makes it clear what kind of person he is, but as the movie continues his performance makes us question that first assumption. As he is tormented by Hayley, it is possible to question if he even deserves this or if what she is doing is right. These questions are something the director wanted the audience to wonder, and the actors’ performances will keep you talking long after the movie is finished.
With that said, Hard Candy does have some problems. The film’s pace does drag from time to time, and the plot starts to come undone a bit towards the ending – which you will either love or hate. Slade also keeps things rather basic with everything taking place inside Jeff’s house.
Hayley seems repulsed by her actions, but doesn’t stop
The color scheme for the house makes the film feel like a game of chess, but can get a bit annoying at times – with the screen drifting from red to white. I personally enjoyed this use of color, but some audience may lose interest before the film has a chance to really get good.
The DVD has some decent special features that help explore the movie a bit more and answer some questions. They include commentary with Slade, Nelson, Page and Wilson; deleted and extended scenes; a making of featurette; and a minifeaturette on the controversial nature of the film.
The minifeaturette has Slade and Nelson discussing the different aspects of the film, and the questions it raises. Slade also defends the movie’s ending. The deleted scenes shed more light on the characters, and are worth taking the time to watch.
Hard Candy is a very hard movie to watch, but the performances from its cast make it worth taking the time. The movie raises questions, and will keep you talking about it long after the credits roll.
With that said, this movie is not for everyone and it does have some problems. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a psychological “thriller,” or a movie that makes you think and question what you are seeing on screen.
Jeff moves from predator to prey
Hard Candy is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an Oct. 30th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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