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Hard Candy

Perched precariously between potentially depicting the various grotesque and condemnable sexual abnormalities plaguing the Internet, schools, churches and everyday lives of some teens and creating a full fledged adolescent "Fatal Attraction"; "Hard Candy", takes aim, rightfully so, at deranged sexual predators without the despicable gratuity one might expect.

Credit to the filmmakers and screenwriters, it avoids the heavy-handed indignation and obligatory moral concerns by showing contempt of predators with vicious reciprocation and intent to harm. Wisely choosing not to place blame on a social institution, but to portray the villainy more for what it is - the wanton destruction of one person's life by another. Filled with ambiguity initially, the film utilizes the small, confines of its setting to ratchet up the claustrophobic suspense as the viewer is left to ponder each character's true motivations. Further use of the small space is made better by the dynamic and interesting camera filters and angles the director and his director of photography use to enhance certain scenes.

Ellen Page's potential victim-cum-demon-waif bounces effortlessly between the ludicrously naive little girl who can't wait to grow up and the questionable protagonist of the film. Her diminutive stature and androgynous looks are offsetting and purposefully shameful in the way she is allowing herself to be ogled by someone whom blatantly should know better. As the film progresses, the alteration to what seemed dirty and incomprehensibly the content of a film begins to show the morally corrective nature of the screenplay through the actions of Page's character. Patrick Wilson, who could be considered either brave or professionally suicidal, gives his character the right amount of confusion and guilt that any empathy the viewer has towards him becomes poisoned by his revelation towards the end. Playing an alleged sexual predator, especially one that preys on young girls, is nothing short of a giant feat. Being able to, at first, make the audience think that maybe he’s not such a bad guy, and perhaps the victim in this bizarre situation he finds himself in.

The smart screenplay walks the audience through inconceivable act after inconceivable act, all the while never turning its head to see if the viewer is still following. That kind of rush might seem irresponsible and inarticulate, but in actuality it accentuates the thriller aspect and makes the film's smaller feel seem that much larger. Smart and at times, delightfully wicked and viscous, "Hard Candy" feels like a stage production, a fact that helps make the isolated characters seem all the more so and creates a better sense of desperation overall. With a gratifying conclusion and great dialogue - that includes a long needed jab at Roman Polanski - "Hard Candy" is far better than its disturbing premise might suggest.

The Lions Gate DVD comes in a sharp 2.35:1 aspect ratio, which looks gorgeous especially with the aforementioned filters. Also, on the fully loaded disc comes commentary by director David Slade and writer Brian Nelson. An additional commentary by actors Patrick Wilson and Ellen Page; several deleted and extended scenes and two featurettes, "Creating Hard Candy" and "Controversial Confection".

A worthwhile disc for a film too few people saw in theaters.

Written by: Kevin Yeoman

Reviewers Rating: 8
Reader's Rating: 9.00
Reader's Votes: 3

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