Hard Candy Review

There are few more controversial subjects that one can bring to the big screen than that of paedophilia. Kevin Bacon's movie "The Woodsman" courted controversy when it was released in 2004 and David Slade's new offering is likely to do the same. However while "The Woodsman" centred on a former abuser and his attempts at rehabilitation, this dark and challenging thriller is much more severe.

Ellen Page ("X-Men: The Last Stand") stars as Hayley, an impressionable but precocious 14 year-old who meets suave thirty-something photographer Jeff (Patrick Wilson - "The Phantom Of The Opera") online. The pair decide to hook up at a local coffee shop and it's not long before the flirting begins, continuing back at his place. However when Jeff collapses after a couple of spiked drinks, he wakes up to what can only be described as a living nightmare.

One of the darkest and most disturbing films to grace our screens in a while, "Hard Candy" is not an easy watch as Hayley tortures Jeff, both mentally and physically; one ten minute segment especially will have every man crossing his legs. Slade lets the tension build as Hayley reveals her true, boardline psychotic, tendencies, climaxing in a rather shocking finale on the roof of Jeff's house that may or may not satisfy - but sure doesn't pull any punches.

Featuring blistering performances from the two leads, "Hard Candy" isn't aimed at a mainstream audience and, given its subject matter, that's perhaps understandable. But anyone brave enough to see it will be rewarded with a provocative cinematic experience.