Hard Candy

Directed by David Slade

Lions Gate Films

4.5 stars

If anyone has seen the trailer for “Hard Candy,” rest assured, the actual film is just as intense and creepy. Two very, shall we say, “unique” people find each other over the internet—with the aliases Lensman319 and Thonggrrrrl14, nods to his profession and her age (gross)—and decide to meet in person. However, this is in no way “You’ve Got Mail” with a pedophiliac twist. This is one superb film by all accounts that you won’t be able to shake off.

After Haley (Ellen Page) and Jeff (Patrick Wilson, “The Phantom of the Opera”) meet in public, they quickly decide to go back to his apartment, but it is unclear who wants to go more, the man or the girl. At his apartment, they begin to drink hard liquor, flirt a lot, and then the chaos begins.

In recent memory, there truly has not been a movie that gives you that edge-of-your-seat feeling like this one. Both Hayley and Jeff have sinister agendas and, as the plot unfolds, they play a cat and mouse game, in which it is unclear who’s in control. And even though the two barely know one another, Jeff and Haley use their most primal instincts to gain the upper hand and each keeps succumbing to his/her own inherent weakness

This dynamic makes certain scenes hard to watch, especially the climax, but the film’s so engrossing that it really is worth the torment. Interestingly, during the most intense sequences, the camera never strays from the characters’ expressions. What’s also fascinating about these two characters is director David Slade never lets the audience decide with whom to side.

Surprisingly, Haley is an incredibly witty character who delivers many pop culture-laden bromides that are hilarious and a welcome respite from the perversity going on in every scene. The bizarre plot suceeds in suspending disbelief, perhaps because Haley keeps us grounded in reality, even when the film takes its preposterous twists and turns.

Newcomer Ellen Page—who will appear in this summer’s blockbuster-to-be “X3”—is simply wondrous to behold and matches Wilson blow for blow. With her tomboy haircut and all-around infantile figure (she was 15 at the time the film was shot), it’s hard to believe how mature she had to be to take on such a layered and surprisingly savvy character.

Wilson, who played a closeted Mormon in HBO’s “Angels In America” miniseries, is the consummate professional. Jeff goes through every emotion imaginable and Wilson is up for the challenge every step of the way. He is a character actor in a leading man’s body and has a magnetism that makes it impossible to take your eyes off the screen.

Slade’s direction is fast and razor-sharp, a nod to his extensive music video and commercial experience. The film is tightly packaged with close camera angles, leaving very little breathing room, and trapping the audience in Jeff’s apartment with the main characters.

For such a dark plot, the colors in the film—from the costumes to the furniture—are so pungent and vibrant, the ironic title rings true. In fact, the film is so highly stylized that one would half expect a movie completely devoid of any meaning. But once the tale ends, it stays with you, whether you liked it or not.

Bottom Line: It’s sick, it’s twisted, and it’s one of the best films of the year.