Hard Candy

I recieved this movie in the mail yesterday (via Blockbuster Online's free trial month offer). I was hoping that one of the more innocuous movies on my queue would have arrived - unfortunately, my mother saw it and immediately wanted to watch it with me.

Let me tell you a few little facts that I knew about this movie before I rented it:
- It's about pedophiles.
- It was one of the most controversial movies of 2005.
- It was not a movie I was planning on watching with my mother.

You can see why this might not be a movie to watch with your mother. But with the risk of being "secretive" ("What are you hiding from me?!") and after trying for at least 10 minutes to dissuade her, we began to watch the movie together.

Hard Candy takes a conventional movie theme and turns it on its head. Predator turned prey has long been a device of storytelling, albeit this movie seems to take it for a ride. Certainly not for the squeamish, it keeps you guessing - where is this movie taking me?

The fun in this movie is the suspense, the horror and the complete and utter feeling of "What the fuck?!" during the entire course of the movie. I have a feeling that many people will not "get it." From what I can gather from a single viewing, this movie isn't out to make a statement - it uses conventional suspense tactics except in an entirely new area - which in turn makes the viewer uncomfortable and shakes their sense of security.

The Bottom Line: Hard Candy isn't a movie you're likely to run out and buy the DVD for... that said:
- I certainly recommend watching it.
- Don't view this one with your mother, brother, sister or other familial figure. It would probably be awkward to watch with just about anyone. Leave this one for "private viewing" just to save yourself the embarrassment.
- This movie doesn't have any huge gory scenes, but still, you don't want to be munching on popcorn and candy during this one.

Until another movie drops into my mailbox - Sayonarra.