Review of Hard Candy (2005) by Stuart K — 02 Sep 2011

The directorial debut of music video director David Slade, who later did 30 Days of Night (2007) and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), this is a creepy, unsettling psychological thriller which is a slow burner, but it has two brilliant lead performances, despite the fact it looks off-putting, it's actually a very good character piece.

It has 14 year old Hayley Stark (Ellen Page) who meets 32 year old photographer Jeff Kohlver (Patrick Wilson) after chatting on an online forum. After a meeting in a cafe, Jeff takes Hayley back to his place and makes drinks, but Hayley insists on making her own.

Jeff does model photography, and wants to shoot Hayley. However, before he can do so, Jeff feels unwell, and collapses. When he comes to, Jeff is tried to a chair by Hayley, who tells him that she knows he's a paedophile, which he denies, but Hayley searches the house, and finds evidence of sick photos and one of a girl who went missing, but Jeff denies any knowledge of it happening.

Hayley wants to ensure Jeff never does anything like this again, and plans something unspeakably bad to him, despite all attempts by Jeff to talk her out of it. It's a gripping, horrific piece of work, and this is a cautionary piece too of the dangers of predators, although the tables are turned here.

Ellen Page is excellent and steals the film, and Wilson makes a good victim to her plotting.