Hard Candy

Year of Release: 2005
Genre: Teen / Drama
Rating: R for disturbing violence, aberrant sexual content & language.
Director: David Slade
Starring: Ellen Page, Patrick Wilson, Sandra Oh, Gilbert John

Date Of Review: February 2008

After watching “Juno” I wanted to see more of Ellen Page’s work so I tracked down this dark little film on DVD. I was once again blindsided by Ellen Page’s mature performance. With only a few films to her credit Page is shaping up to be one of the best actresses of her time. In “Hard Candy”, Page plays a 14 year old girl who chats to a 30 something guy on the internet and then goes and meets him in a coffee shop. This sounds like every parent’s worst fears, right? “Hard Candy” is a cautionary tale about internet predators and then some. After coffee, the young girl goes back to the guy’s house. This sounds like a parent’s worst nightmare, right? Add to that, the guy is a fashion photographer and has a studio in his home. The two start mixing drinks and you will never guess what happens next? Well, I certainly didn’t. All is not as it seems in “Hard Candy”.  It’s a disturbing film that manages to weave more than just a little web of mystery into its story thread. To tell you anymore would be giving away too much. One thing is for sure, “Hard Candy” will grab you in its clutches and hold you there until the very end, but that's not all. Along the way it will shock you, distress you and more than likely keep you on the edge of your seat until it drops you, literally. As for Page’s parents, strangely enough, the film shy’s away from showing any parents whatsoever. It’s totally tuned in on one thing and one thing only and that is, the relationship between the mismatched couple.

“Hard Candy” is a harrowing motion picture experience. Although, stylishly made and wonderfully acted its bleak subject matter will be too unsettling for most viewers. It’s a disturbing and depressing look at a dark side of life. I couldn’t recommend the film as an entertainment piece but it is nevertheless technically brilliant. The film plays out like one big conversation between the two leads. It’s almost like a stage play, that without warning, bursts into life with a kinetic cinematic style. A lot of the film is shot in close-up, often the tops of the actor’s heads are cut in the film's framing, to amplify the intensity and rate at which their relationship is being explored. Patrick Wilson puts in an exhausting performance, while Ellen Page matches him with the precision of a surgeon. If you are an Ellen Page fan, you certainly won’t be disappointed, she is in fine form and her exceptional acting talents are on display for all to see. It is hard to believe that you are watching such a young actress as her performance is far beyond her years.

To sum-things up quickly. “Hard Candy” is Rated R for “aberrant sexual content involving a teen”.  I couldn’t help but wonder how a girl so young could be asked to play such a role. Ellen Page may play a 14-year-old and certainly looks like a 14-year-old but I soon discovered that she was in fact around 17-years-old when the film was shot. “Hard Candy” is a teen film because the central character is a teen but it’s almost too difficult to call it one. It deals with subject matter that effects teens and would be interesting to teens; yet, the material is too explicit, too intense and too disturbing to be shown to most adults, let alone teens.  “Hard Candy” is an intriguing film but certainly a hard-slog. While the disturbing subject matter almost makes you want to switch off, it’s the brilliant performances of the two stars that keeps you watching, if not glued to the screen.  Also, aside from the film’s uniqueness, it is an incredible artistic achievement, its suspense quotient and surprise factor is high and it makes good use of its confined location, so much so, that it’s almost claustrophobic. Finally, the film’s poster alone is terrifyingly grim. Anyone who watches “Hard Candy” is bound to have their own reaction to it but if you are looking for your usual entertainment, then look elsewhere, you will not find it here. “Hard Candy” is so unnerving that it would be difficult to call it entertainment.  Not for the faint-hearted. 

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