Hard Candy
2005 Directed by David Slade
Synopsis
A mature 14-year old girl meets a charming 32-year old photographer on the Internet. Suspecting that he is a pedophile, she goes to his home in an attempt to expose him.
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"I shouldn't have teased you like that. I shouldn't have let you think there was a way out of this."
No matter how uncomfortable you expect to feel while watching this movie, you don't even know the half of it.
Page is fantastic. I especially appreciate the scenes where she seems like a little girl acting tough -- which could partly be inexperience and partly be a brilliant interpretation of the character. She's chilling and frightening, and it's going to be a long time before I can think of her as attractive and not feel like I'm a monster. (Because let's face it: in a lot of ways she still looks today like she did seven years ago.) Also, I…
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"If I left one, then you'd be walking around crooked all the time. So, this is for the best, alright?"
Sweet Jesus. What did I just watch? And between a fourteen year old girl, and a pedophile, why am I feeling sympathy for the latter? Intense, disturbing, and so wrong. But so good. Both actors were great. But I'll never look at Ellen Page the same again.
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Challenging and highly disturbing, Hard Candy is an engrossing and shocking experimental thriller that will ingrain itself in your mind. It is hard to believe that this is David Slade's debut feature film. His film relies heavily on a pace that will have you sifting in your seat from unbearable tension one moment and have you gasping for air the next. He accomplishes making it disturbing and gut-wrenching without the strong violence that other horror/thrillers use shamelessly.
A teenage girl, Hayley, arranges to meet an older male photographer, Jeff, in person after they develop an online friendship/relationship. They go back to his place where the walls are covered with photos of underage girls - the "portfolio" of his work. Hayley…
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The December Project film #14.
The fuck.
This is probably one of the most disturbing pieces of cinema I have experienced in years. Both Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson are amazing as the teenage girl and the pedophile that lures her into his home oblivious to what is about to happen to him.
Other than that, the cinematography, the direction and especially the script are also incredibly good.
Man, how I wished I hadn't seen this...
"Or not". -
Disturbing, thought-provoking and essential for psychological thriller lovers, Hard Candy is one of those films that warrants a second viewing. Introducing Ellen Page in a mesmerising performance, she blends with the scrips and transforms into one of the most complicated and ominous child characters of all-time. Hard Candy has so much to say, and I can't wait to watch it again so I can fully digest exactly what that might be.
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A disturbing, challenging, and intelligent modern twist on the Little Red Riding Hood tale with a very strong performance from Ellen Page.
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David Slade's minimalistic debut is disturbing, tense and makes for uncomfortable viewing. Lead performances are astonishing.
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When watching this film I was left questioning, which character can I route for? it is apparent that on face value most audiences would believe the Hayley character is completely in the right and Jeff is to be despised, but at times I felt pity for Jeff in the often sadistic hands of Hayley, I'm not sure but perhaps this film is the directors way of criticizing the treatment of paedophiles in the system and in society, this became apparent when the film offered a prison counselling alternative to the 'death for all paedo's' route that the character Hayley takes.
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Ellen Page is cute, sinister and utterly hilarious in this pitch black thriller in which she lures and tortures a paedophile.
The script is full of social commentary barbs and an equal number of hilarious one-liners that really punctuate the unsettling, claustrophobic environment of the film.
It has stayed with me for a long time after the credits rolled, and that's the mark of something great.
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Mjā...
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what a shit..........i fukin hate this movie.......
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Honestly, the story didn't do a lot for me. Motivations are muddled and/or purposefully left vague, and the castration sequence goes on for far too long considering the whole thing is a bit of sleight of hand. But Hard Candy is still worth a watch thanks to a fierce performance by Ellen Page, who must have been a revelation had this been the first movie you'd seen her in.
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O_O
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Probably one of the best thrillers I've seen in years. Not exactly easy viewing, and I wouldn't recommend it for its entertainment value but being an intelligent and challenging film, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
All of the film's elements work together to contribute to its strength, primarily by continually sustaining suspense, especially in the use of sound effects. Very little is shown, and most of the sound is heavy breathing. The horror and disturbing nature of the content is left to the audience's imagination. The film relies heavily on its pace, shifting from scenes of unbearable tension and ones where I was physically uncomfortable and squirming. A lot of this comes from, I… -
Really tried hard to push feelings in my face.