After three weeks chatting with the thirty-two years old photographer Jeff Kohlver (Patrick Wilson) in Internet, the fourteen years old Hayley Stark (Ellen Page) meets him in the Nighthawks coffee shop. Hayley flirts with him in spite of the difference of ages and proposes to go to his house. Once there, she prepares screwdriver for them and Jeff passes out. When he awakes, he is tied up to a chair, and Hayley accuses him of pedophilia. Jeff denies, and Hayley begin to torture him, in a mouse and cat game.
"Hard Candy" is an unpleasant story very similar to Roman Polanski's "Death and the Maiden", only the motives are different, political versus pedophilia. This film is well acted, and both Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson are superb in their performances. However, the sick and deranged Hayley Stark is a vile, no matter how despicable Jeff Kohlver might be. In "Death and the Maiden", the character of Sigourney Weaver was a political activist that was tortured by the character of Ben Kingsley, therefore the viewer is able to accept her revenge. But in "hard Candy", Hayley Stark is sicker than Jeff Kohlver and it is impossible to feel any sympathy for her character. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Garota Má.com" ("Bad Girl.com")
"Hard Candy" is an unpleasant story very similar to Roman Polanski's "Death and the Maiden", only the motives are different, political versus pedophilia. This film is well acted, and both Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson are superb in their performances. However, the sick and deranged Hayley Stark is a vile, no matter how despicable Jeff Kohlver might be. In "Death and the Maiden", the character of Sigourney Weaver was a political activist that was tortured by the character of Ben Kingsley, therefore the viewer is able to accept her revenge. But in "hard Candy", Hayley Stark is sicker than Jeff Kohlver and it is impossible to feel any sympathy for her character. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Garota Má.com" ("Bad Girl.com")