Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-21 01:05:10

Torture Porn

Would give Hard Candy zero stars if possible. Hard Candy is torture porn, despite what the filmmakers say in the special features of the DVD about wanting to spur audience discussion of this independent film. At one point in the DVD interviews, they mention the movie "Saw" for consideration. Not surprising. As one who cannot condone administering the death penalty and torture (it is dehumanizing to both the giver and the receiver of it), I cannot find anything redeeming about Hard Candy whatsoever. Even if the Jeff character is guilty of his accused crimes, his fate is up to the law to decide and not some psychopathic teenage girl. I truly hated this movie for being a manipulative revenge fantasy. I hated the movie, thinking: "What's the point here, beyond shock value?" Manipulative revenge movies are a common Hollywood theme; look at the Mel Gibson or Jody Foster catalog of films for examples. Another that comes to mind is the Farrah Fawcett movie Extremities. Hard Candy is simply another one in this long line of films that is appealing to our baser instincts in the guise of entertainment. The filmmakers of Hard Candy clearly state they would be proud if people hate this movie. Good for them, their wish is granted.

2012-05-20 09:05:31

worthless hype for a worthless movie

so yeah, basically when I came into my friend's house and saw that he was putting in a movie, I figured hey, they're gonna watch a movie, how pleasant, but unfortunately it was this movie, while thankfully I was on his comp most of the time and wasn't really listening to it, I would come into the movie for parts and just sit there and think to myself "so what?", I was basically just bored through the entire movie that I saw, bored enough to stop watching and get on my friend's comp, ya? It's entriely annoying that even though most, if not all of Lionsgate films are like this and either bore the hell out of you or keep you utterly entertained throughout, but uhh, unfortunately I'd rather watch Hostel than this movie frankly.

2012-05-17 11:58:54

I Love Ellen Page

I first heard of Ellen Page when I saw JUNO (Which is also a fabulous movie). My friend told me about this movie, so I decided to buy it. And I am really glad that I did. The whole movie consists mainly of only Hayley and Jeff. You might think that a movie with only two characters for an hour and a half might get boring, but you don't. You stay intrigued. Ellen and Patrick are fantastic. I highly recommend this movie to any and everyone.

nobles-3 2012-05-16 18:01:25

Hardly Candy

If you hate someone, recommend this movie. My two roommates came homewith Hard Candy because a Movie Gallery worker suggested it. That MovieGallery worker is now on three hit lists. Avoid at all costs. Go playwith abandoned refrigerators instead. It only took about 10 minutesbefore I wanted to leap into the screen and beat the little girl down.Yes, I cheered for the pedophile. "Great movies can do that!" Hah. I'llput this one up there with the Vag Monologues. I think we are on ThirdWave Feminism right now, and it is freaking ridiculous. Yes, vote. Yes,work. Stay away from vigilante castration justice. We have a system oflaw in this country. Grrr...I'm mad. Terrible. Awful. Ridiculous.Seriously, this movie is pathetic. No male will enjoy it, and no womenin their right mind would either. Maybe "womyn", but not any normalhuman beings. Organize Hard Candy DVD bonfires in your respected towns.I'm done.

Cinema_Fan 2012-05-11 02:02:40

Candy is dandy, but this will ruin more than your teeth.

Hard Candy, like the play Waiting for Godot, in principle only, is aplay of two characters, and two characters only, this is a playconcerning duel personalities with one major theme in mind;paedophilia.With its hidden twists and turns Hard Candy is angel cake with theadded ingredient of bitter pills that is certainly best served cold,this play, of responsible indifference, is a chilling insight of theeffects and counter effects of this atrocious crime.The bait is laid, the trap is set and the consequence of our actions isthe bed that we inevitably must lie in. There is no escaping thelegalities that subversion brings, Hard Candy is that justification.David Slade, with his first major feature film here, and a gallanteffort too, has delivered Ellen Page, born February 1987, into ourgrasp. She just about taunts us with interest, with her characterHayley Stark, but this meandering quickly becomes repetitive and a tadtoo perplexing in places to warrant any believability in the long run,in retrospect of the David and Goliath scenario that transforms intoThe Mouse That Roared. Though rather on the slow side to begin with, Hard Candy soon graduallydelivers momentum, and while we are at pains for this young girl'swelfare, we are driven to the precarious world of the Internet chatrooms. This particular social message that should have alarm bellsringing for all that casually type away with abandonment is a starkreminder that even being incognito will not protect, unless, of course,the proper procedures of caution are being observed. This is where HardCandy falls into place, the care free, naive and gullible actions ofthe unwary, of the hard candy, the slang term for an underage girl,that will have, for some, dire consequences.Hard Candy is an enquired taste, for some the pace will be too slow,for others this is how it should be delivered, in a non rushed mannerthat has both victim and victimiser bonding, for the wrong reasons, andunsuspecting of what is to be their overall fate. When this fate isfinally approached, we are grateful that the final curtain of this playhas drawn to a close and that the show is finally over, not forindifference, but to be witness of the justice being executed.

Jaya Simha 2012-05-10 04:29:40

Worst movie one can ever see...!!

What is the Point in making film that lacks reality !??. This movie isthe only One i Felt like Rating '0'. As it isn't available i rated as'1'. Go watch this movie now, and realize how stupid and Insane a moviecan be !!. It was all about a 14 year old girl having vengeance on aphotographer who killed Some X girl. Ya still it can be more realisticmore interesting and at least sadistic or may be bit psychic.. but youcan hardly find something other than Loads of stupidity..!!I sat through the whole movie because I truly believed that somewherein the film a real plot would emerge, or some characters would start todevelop, or someone would cut out Hayley's tongue so she would finallyshut up. Hard Candy is also one of the most implausible films committedto celluloid

stfu-21 2012-05-07 10:10:05

Brilliant Acting

I guess lots of people already said it but an amazing piece of actingfrom Ellen Page. Just the way she says ; you want me to cut off yourleft or right ball first. Kinda like Maggie Smith in Keeping Mum, youcouldn't expect me to do nothing (killed man and mistress).About all those (read a few) people who said is not likely, it'sunrealistic this could happen and this is not how it goes in real life,I mean you know that's what you're gonna get in movies and accept thatthat what movies are all about and if you can't put that besidesyourself, I don't think you'll be ever able to enjoy a movie.Script could have been better but, one of the best acting performancesI've seen in a long time, by both actors. Anyway just one more thing,just a shame of the climax which wasn't really.

X 2012-05-06 20:05:07

More Then Expected

i knew this movie was going to be worth seeing but i cannot beleive that is was one of the most well made movies ever. ellen page was sooooo sick with it i hope to see more films with her. and patrick wilson was so beleivalbe, as a bad guy with a confused heart. now i can't wait to buy this movie on dvd

discokate 2012-05-05 15:27:32

Almost Brilliant film!

I found this film to be very gripping and intense in most parts. Boththe main actors do a brilliant job in expressing emotion. Ellen Pagedoes a great job playing Hayley. The audience doesn't know who the 'badguy' is in this film until a fair way through, so i think this buildsup a sorrow for Jeff and the audience start to feel bad for him becausethey are unsure whether he is actually a paedophile or not, so when youfind out that he ACTUALLY IS you can't help but feel bad for the guystill (even though you shouldn't) and i felt myself taking his side andfeeling sympathetic for him. I don't think this should be how the filmmakes you feel though. Other than that is was a great film and beingmade on a low budget in such a short time makes it even better!Awesome.

spanmanmc 2012-05-05 01:12:01

Best film of 2006

I rented this film in September of 2006. I often rent pulp DVDs onspec, and occasionally am rewarded with an obscure gem. In this case, Iwas absolutely impressed. At the end of the year, I was unable tocomplete a favorite ten list, but Hard Candy was at the top. Ellen Pageprovides a well disciplined and mature performance that belies her 14years. Apparently, there was no general release of this film, but I would liketo see it gain some mainstream recognition. If there was a modicum ofjustice in this world, Ms. Page would be included in the currentnominees for an Academy award.The pacing of the story is rather subtle, where the two charactersinitially interact and move about a west LA neighborhood with aninnocuous sensibility that drops few clues as to what is to transpire.Most crime or action films use vengeance to drive the plot. This filmincludes it as a character motivation, but does so on a very keenlevel. Kudos to a great first time script and director effort.

BMike_17 2012-05-03 16:07:01

You are all drones, useless drones.*SPOILERS 2 XTREME*

I give this a 3 out of 10 just for a 2 seconds of accidental humor, andthe one twist which i sort of liked until the movie ended and Irealized, "Hey! That made no friggin sense." This movie isunbelievable, the actress overacts her part, and the pedophile is sucha complete friggin idiot/moron I can't even understand it. Seriously,who crawls at someone with a scalpel in plain sight. I found that morefunny and sad then suspenseful. And the Circumcision, how did she knowhe was going to escape? The bonds were obviously not meant to let himescape or he would've successfully done it the first time. There's noreal hero in the movie, just an villain, who they try and make yousympathize, and an anti-hero, who's more sadistic then anything else.For those of you who haven't seen this movie, let me put up a roughsynopsis.1. Girl and guy setting up meeting in person over instant messenger.(thats right, the first five minutes of character development is allinstant messenging...WOO....) 2. Girl and guy meet up for coffee andyou have to think this is the dumbest girl ever.3. Girl talks the guy into going back to his place to listen to somestupid no name band.4. After drinking the girl slips the guy a roofie and ties him up(thatswhere they present the fact he's some kind of child molester/kiddieporn peddler) 5. Guy tied to a rolling chair, watches as girl ramblesfor what seems like ever finally getting to the conclusion she's goingto trash his house looking for evidence against him.6. During the search girl finds a loaded gun under the bed and sets iton top.7. She finds his safe and gets the combination, the guy watches as sheopens it and when she gets close enough he kicks her in the head. (thescene is so ridiculous looking I couldn't stop laughing. Its sorta likein anchorman where jack black punts baxter.8. Guy grabs gun but as soon as he gets...sorry, rolls back into theliving room she is nowhere to be found.9. Girl jumps out of dark corner w/saran wrap and suffocates himmob-style while he misses with just one shot. (you think the neighboursdown the block would here) 10. Girl ties him to table and tells himshe's going to castrate him. This is where i see the funniest actingface in all my life. Check out the guys look when she's explaining itto him.11. During the long and drawn out scene(a lot of these in this movie)the guy is "castrated." She leaves him saying she's going to go take ashower and then leave forever.12. OK, now the guy somehow musters the strength to escape the tableand guess what? She had only put a binderclip over his balls! It wasall a ruse. Wow, I didn't know binderclips felt like castration.Anyways..13. Guy grabs a scalpel off the table and heads to the shower toum...lacerate her.14. Oh my god a step ahead of him again! Somehow she was hiding behindthe door with a tazer. Personally if it were me i would've escapedbefore I thought i'd been castrated...but thats just me.15. Anyway, she goes and uses the phone after she zaps him in the tubbut you see her walking around and this guy is in plain view, crawling(very pathetically by the way) down the hall towards her. No joke, itsthe dumbest looking thing i've ever seen.16. So she tazers him again and he passes out.17. Next thing we know he's hanging from the ceiling and she's tellinghim if he kills himself she'll destroy the evidence he found. Heproceeds to mount/strangle her and escapes from the noose. He grabs anice and chases her onto the roof where she says she's called his longlost love and if he hangs himself(conveniently a noose on the rooftoo), she'll destroy all the evidence and his old girl won't know jack.18. You know what the guy does? He hangs himself? Its the worst endingto a movie ever. You never find out what the girls real name is, shejust wanders off in this red pseudo-red riding hood outfit. Only timeyou see it in the whole movie. This is a film which should'vedefinitely been left for Lifetime. Only the bipolar could trulyappreciate it. Anyways, hope you enjoyed my review. Please god, don'twatch this.

ben-videovision 2012-05-02 23:16:59

Hard pressed to remember the last time I saw such a good film.

This film should have the kind of longevity enjoyed by films likeRearWindow and its ilk. There's superb acting throughout and I lookforward to seeing more from Jeff (Patrick Wilson) and Hayley (EllenPage), as well as the director, David Slade. He should be very pleasedwith the slickness of this film, and the evident skill used to put ittogether. Rarely does a film leave you gripping the edge of your seatan hour after it's finished.Far surpassing Fatal Attraction as a film, it will enter in to popularculture in much the same way. I wonder what its alternative to "bunnyboiler" will be.Watching this film will leave you squirming, flinching and tense, butvery satisfied by two solid hours of thrilling entertainment. It alsohas a very special message for all the paedophiles out there.

LadyLiberty 2012-05-02 03:53:03

Hard Candy is one sweet piece of cinema!

I'd heard a little about Hard Candy (all of it good) when it wasoriginally released, but then...nothing. But a friend of mine who's areal movie fan remembered, too, so when she saw it at a local videorental store, she grabbed a copy. We had the chance to sit down andtake a look at Hard Candy this weekend, and what a sweet movie itproved to be! Hard Candy is (as I learned from a little onlineresearch) Internet slang for an underaged girl. We've all heard thestories about those men who prey on those underaged girls via onlinechatrooms and instant messages, too. Hayley Stark (Ellen Page) is oneof them. At 14, she's got a provocative screen name and flirtatiousmanner that's just begging for unsavory contact. 32 year-oldphotographer Jeff Kohlver (Patrick Wilson) is happy to oblige.After several weeks of online chat, Hayley tells Jeff she'd like tomeet him. Jeff eagerly agrees, and the two set up a time and place thatvery day. The two get together in a local coffee shop, but it isn'tlong before Hayley finds herself agreeing to visit Jeff's house wherehe's got an MP3 file of a concert that she really, really wants tohear. In short order, the teenager is drinking vodka screwdrivers andwandering around Jeff's house looking at framed photos of young modelsand chirpily asking questions. But just as Jeff moves in for theobvious next step, he finds the tables turned and Hayley well in chargeof everything that happens next.That's it. That's the entire storyline. In fact, that's almost theentire cast. Almost all of Hard Candy takes place in Jeff's house withonly Jeff and Hayley present. And yet Hard Candy is one of the mostgripping and suspenseful films I've ever seen. That's due to severalcrucial elements.Ellen Page gives a singularly brilliant performance (she's older than14 in real life, but still quite young and I suspect we can expectformidable performances from her for a long time to come). Despite — orperhaps because of — her sweet pixie good looks, you find yourselffearing for her and then just fearing her by turns. Patrick Wilson is agood looking man who manages to convey the visceral creepiness of apedophile perfectly, but also somehow comes across as an otherwiseperfectly regular guy. Without his finely nuanced performance, there'sno way we could go from hating this guy and everything he does toactually having some sympathy for the poor bastard.Brief appearances by the wonderful Sandra Oh (as Jeff's neighbor) andJennifer Holmes (who plays Jeff's grown-up girlfriend) are truly brief.Hard Candy rests entirely on the performances of its two leads. As goodas both are, the movie would have been much less if not for somefantastic direction from David Slade and Brian Wilson's unparalleledscript. The script is truly amazing, and Slade took it and brought itto life with all its stupendous possibilities realized.The sets are few but perfectly rendered; the edits (again, the directorgets some credit here, but so does the obviously world class editor)are terrific; and the cinematography and some delightfully skewedcamera angles all mesh together with that superlative script and thosestellar performances to offer up a movie watching experience that'severything an avid fan might expect and then some.Hard Candy includes some very controversial subject matter and someextremely uncomfortable scenes. Yet nothing is superfluous, and it allcontributes to the overall effect. That effect, I have to say, isconsiderable. The movie ended with my friend, me, and her daughtersitting in her living room with our mouths open. I'm not entirely surewhat the first comment was or who voiced it as the credits started toroll — it's hard to remember anything when you're stunned! — but I'mpretty sure it was, "Wow." Yes. That sums Hard Candy up nicely.Hard Candy didn't enjoy broad publicity or release likely in some partdue to the subject matter. But it also suffered from a very low budget(about $1 million) which means there was little to spare for publicity.Despite severe budgetary constraints, you'll find the movie itselflacks nothing where quality is concerned. In fact, I think the onlything Hard Candy lacks is the larger audiences it should have had andthe avid fans it so deserves. Consider this review some small effort torectify that egregious oversight.If you're a fan of cinema, and you appreciate brilliant performances,direction, or scripts, rent a copy of Hard Candy and do it soonerrather than later. I realize it's early in the year, but Hard Candy isso good I'm already wondering if it might be the best film I see in2007. I'm certainly betting it's one of them.FAMILY SUITABILITY: Hard Candy is rated R for "disturbing violent andaberrant sexual content involving a teen, and for language." Hard Candymay be about a teenager, but it is in no way suitable for children oreven young teens. Hard Candy is, indeed, quite disturbing and in asingularly adult way. I'd recommend the movie only for those age 16 orso and up, and mature older teens at that. But that being said, I'drecommend Hard Candy to those with the stomach for it, and I'drecommend it in the strongest possible terms.

tpulling83 2012-05-01 08:59:36

Fast forwarded and threw up at the same time

I had to check and make sure this movie wasn't written or directed by afemi-natzi.First off, this movie was way too long, truly unmotivated and full ofdiscontinuity (roof scene), Hayley popping out of undefined areas withundefined materials (plastic wrap?), unsettling and anonymoustransitions and that were not needed and only stylistic. Did I mentionno defined motivation throughout most of this movie? Oh, and lets juststick some characters we know nothing about, like the oriental gardenerand the red head in the end.Why did Hayley roll down a hill at the end? What was her motivation forfinding this particular guy and why was she "investigating" internetpredators at her age? None of the above explained.What was the point of all the color drifts (already mentioned) and theextreme colored backgrounds (red!!!). All these vibrant colors werethere to throw the viewer off? I forgot which way to the rainbow? Icould go on and on...

2012-04-24 18:40:05

My goodness...what a pleasant masterpiece

This was downright nail biting, anger causing, and made Dateline NBC (catching pediphiles) something that could turn a freakish child molestor into a slobbering idiot.We have Jeff, a photo taking and participant in the loving of little girls. Then we have Haley---she is 14 years old and starts chatting online with Jeff about attraction, photo shots and plain sexual attraction.They get together at Jeff's house (where most of the movie is shot) to begin this cat and mouse, "who can get out of his house alive, with sexual organs still intact."Actually this is Jeff's worst nightmare....Haley wants retribution for a young girl who came up murdered. She believes Jeff was the culprit, or as we find out, part of the duo in the death of this young girl.Haley through the movie manipulates, psuedo tortures and degrades Jeff to the point where he is a blubbering idiot. Haley's objective....she wants Jeff to hang himself from the roof of his house in front of his former girlfriend and the world, leaving behind all sorts of twisted videos/pics and such, to let the police and the world find out what kind of man he actually was-----a thought in closing---maybe Jeff wasn't that bad???? Maybe Haley should have considered not being Judge, Jury and Executioner---she was one scarey little 14 year old girl throughout the flick.

Pornstardk 2012-04-24 08:32:55

brilliantly disturbing with a nice twist

Great movie.This movie caused me to feel rather uneasy. Not a lot of movies havesucceeded in doing so. A notable exception is of course the Frenchdirector Casper Noe's masterpiece, 'Irreversible'. However, in 'HardCandy' my uneasiness was not caused by things displayed in the movie.It is rather what is not displayed. I will not get into details but itinvolves what most guys would regard as their worst nightmare.Psychologically, it is also interesting to see whose sides one takesthroughout the movie. Who is the more disturbed of the 2 maincharacters...? The obvious villain or...?If you are into movies with a clever plot, you should check this oneout :-)

2012-04-20 05:01:02

sadomasochism

if you are in the mood for some serious sadomasochism, and please takenote of the word 'serious', this might be a movie for you. otherwise, iwould advise to save the 2 hours of your life. trust me, even watchingcommercials of soap is more useful/interesting/exciting. somehow, thecreators of this wonderful piece forgot to mention the word'pedophelia' in its description. I am not sure how this is possiblegiven that this is the point of the movie - well, it does not reallyhave a point, but this is what this 'film' allegedly tries to explore(without, I might add coming to any conclusion or a hint of thereof).when you watch the preview for this chef d'oeuvre, it sets up anintrigue of older man meeting a younger girl of in the net.interesting. here is a preview of this the trailer omits: a crazedteenager trying to cut the testicles of an alleged offender for abouthalf an hour. A Saturday night killer (and by that I mean your Saturdaynight). Actually, this movie can kill the mood of any evening. so justto sum up, if you are in the mood for some sadomasochism, you havefound what you are looking for. otherwise, as I said, even soapcommercials are better. at least they don't leave you nauseous.

lisa-cena 2012-04-19 22:05:08

What an amazing movie!

Hard Candy is a magnificent movie. I think what makes this movie sogood is the acting and the fact that it is such a simple and realisticmovie. Patrick Wilson and Ellen Page make a terrific pairing and I wasdefinitely surprised by their amazing acting in this movie. They trulymake the characters believable.Hard Candy in my opinion is not a film to be missed. I, personallycannot get enough of it, every time I'm bored I stick this movie on.If you ever get the chance to catch this movie don't let theopportunity pass! Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.Hope this review was helpful and you choose to see this movie.

onys 2012-04-18 04:01:28

Don't read anything about this movie, just watch it!

Very much recommended, but not for the fragile minds. ..Absolutely nokind of spoilers in this post, so this is the one thing you can read ;)This is one of those kind of movies, that gets a huge kick when youdon't have the slightest clue what it is about. It will really surpriseyou with its quite nice originality and theme that is not common. Mostlikely you have not seen anything like this before. Girl actress isawesome, and the whole movie is well made and works like an oiledmachine. It catches you fast with its grip and holds you there. Itssimple, straightforward and genius. A very nice movie-experience, so tosay. Couple minor scenes in the end are hanging a bit in the ear, andthere's some playing with unreality, but it is so minor it most likelywont even bother you. But, it is not a comedy or sweet kind of movie.It is not bad to watch, but some people may feel much of discomfortfrom certain ideas it paints in your mind. You've been warned, now goget comfortable and watch it.

DonFishies 2012-04-17 16:42:57

An awkward masterpiece that needs to be seen by everyone

Originally, I was not going to see Hard Candy. I was not sure what itwas about, but just by looking at the DVD box, it did not look likeanything too amazing. But after hearing more and more about it, I foundthe need to track down a copy and see it. It took a bit of time, butafter finally experiencing the film, I am both deeply disturbed andastonishingly impressed all at once, especially thinking about it weeksafter seeing it.As sad as it makes me, I think everyone who has seen the movie hasrevealed far too much about it. Indeed, a revealing synopsis was whatreally made me desire to see the film, but really disheartens mebecause it gives so much away about it. But basically, the filmrevolves centrally around two characters: Jeff (Patrick Wilson), aphotographer in his early 30's, and Hayley (Ellen Page), a 14-year-oldhonours student. The film opens with an Internet chat conversationbetween these two characters, and over the course of the brief chat (orat least, of what the audience can read), they decide to meet up at alocal coffee bar. They meet, talk for a bit, and then proceed over tohis house.Yes, those who know a lot about the film, or just from the briefdescription understand that nothing good could possibly come from thischance meeting.What proceeds is probably the most disturbing film to come from justabout anywhere in the last few years. And with it comes the notion thatthis film could have only been made as an Indie. This is not the stuffHollywood usually is known to mass-produce; it is actually pretty farfrom it. Thankfully, being on the verve actually works and makes thisintense film all the better. It is both at once thought provoking andgenuinely twisted. The enormously disgusting nature of the film willinduce you into wanting to vomit, but at the same time, makes you neverwant to look away. Its burning desire to make you keep watching becomesso forceful and provocative that the film almost becomes pornographicby default. As the film progresses and it probes deeper into what isacceptable and what is not, the film just hits a powerful nerve, and itnever lets go.This immense strength comes exclusively from Wilson and Page. There areother actors in the film, but they only get a few minutes in thelimelight. These two are front and centre for the entire production,and they play off each other brilliantly. Being newer actors, I thoughtthey would not do so well (Page was not all that amazing in X-Men: TheLast Stand, and I have yet to see Little Children to pass judgment onWilson), but their work here is enough of a qualification for being agreat actor. They just mesh together so well, and their emotions are soin tune with each other. They just know these characters and theirrelationship to each other so thoroughly that their "chemistry" (wrongword, but proper context) is better than the performances from themajority of mainstream actors. Yes, you can tell that they are notcompletely in tune with these characters at all moments, but for mostof the film, you would be hard set not thinking this was somethingreally happening somewhere in the world.The two are both at once disturbed and naïve. They do not know whatthey want, but their twisted journey just becomes more inept as it goesalong. Wilson and Page are both able to express this well on screen,and in one way, do not appear to have such a huge age gap between them.But watching scenes such as the opening dialogue exchange at the coffeebar, it does quickly become obvious that the two are very far off fromeach other. But it works on so many levels because of the maturity ofboth actors, and the maturity of the script itself. It wants to betaken seriously, and it does not want to be brushed away. The scenesbetween these two character work on so many levels because of how hardeveryone is working to make them believable. And they all are, even themoments of sheer fantasy. While they do work together greatly, another dose of strength for thefilm are the visuals. The photography that is used to bring this sickand twisted masterpiece to life are just a marvel to watch. At times,the colours are brightly lit, and are happy. And at others, they aredark, drab and downright evil. This helps continue the notion of justhow awkward and disturbing the film wants to be. Having carefullyselected the colour of Hayley's sweater is a bit of a casual metaphorfor a classic fairy tale, and it works magnificently in place herealthough it is only shown a few times (but more prominently on thefilm's cover).The film is inherently controversial, and it does not attempt to makeitself out to be anything different. It revels in its content andmaterial, and through the cinematic format, paints a haunting andvisceral picture that not everyone will be able to understand, and mostpeople would never be able to watch. It makes you rethink the realityof the world, and really brings about the idea of whether or not thefilm is plausible. Yes, it is very fantastical, but it is grounded inreality unlike much of the mainstream fare. It is not perfect film, but it is one that needs to be seen. It may bedisturbing and may question where you should sympathize, but thisawkward masterpiece has two of the best performances you are bound toever see.9/10.