Hard Candy

In my review of Juno the other day, I mentioned that I hadn’t seen the film that I understood to be Ellen Page’s breakthrough film, Hard Candy. Well now I have, having picked up a copy of the DVD.
Wow – what a film. In essence, it’s about a paedophile played by Patrick Wilson, who tries to tempt Ellen Page’s character into meeting him having groomed her via the internet. So far, so sleazy. But it quickly becomes apparent that this girl is not quite all she seems, as she turns the tables and drugs her prospective attacker.
What plays out is sometimes painful to watch and very well written. Sometimes the piece feels as though it could have been written for the stage, with nearly all the action taking place in a single home. There are twists and turns and the piece even has some very definite acts.
The film is the feature debut of David Slade, who has since produced a zombie movie – 30 Days of Night. It looks fantastic with some fabulous focusing at times.
The DVD also comes with a superb “making of” documentary that’s way ahead of the usual rubbish that you get on DVDs. If you’re interested in the process of how this film came to made and indeed how a small independent film is put together, then this is invaluable. Slade also talks us through some of the technical aspects of movie making meaning that you end up learning things.
Overall a fantastic little package and I thoroughly recommend a viewing.


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