HARD CANDY

Narrative
The themes and ideas within the narrative of ‘Hard Candy’ can be described as distinctly controversial and extreme. The development of the relationship of the two main characters – an alleged paedophile and a 14-year-old girl - is socially and ideologically shocking, which in turn illustrates the dominant moral of the film. The film is not overly graphic, as most of the violence and horror are implicit, but the intensity of the real-time narrative allows the audience to be more thoroughly immersed in the unfolding plot. The situation alone is perverse, inclining the audience to begin to develop a negative interpretation of Jeff’s character, appearing to ‘groom’ the apparently naïve and innocent Hayley. Later in the narrative, it appears that there is an element of role reversal between the characters, as Hayley becomes the dominant figure that is in control of Jeff – this does not adhere to the typical conventions of a psychological thriller and also blurs the boundaries between protagonist and antagonist. There is then an inclination that Hayley is insane (“four out of five doctors agree”), and as Jeff never confesses to the murder which she is punishing him for, there is a hint of sympathy towards him, and a doubt that he is the monster Hayley believes him to be.

Genre
This film challenges the conventions of a psychological thriller, in that the relationship between the couple is unorthodox and the dominance is shifted towards the younger apparently more vulnerable and naïve Hayley. There are also few supporting characters, which concentrates the attention directly on the two main actors.

Individual Interpretations and Position
As there are only two main Caucasian characters, the interpretation of the film by a relating audience may seem narrow, but is widened by the unfortunately universal themes of internet grooming and paedophilia. These matters not only concern those who have experienced them, but also to the general public, to whom issues such as this are often difficult to discuss and explain.

Micro Elements
The film contains many coloring effects of lighting to reflect the moods of the characters. For example, when Hayley gets angry the colors would be edited to be of lower frequency. One effect used was to brighten the lighting in filming and correct it in post-production. This allowed for facial details to be visible even while having a darkened atmosphere. The set is simple and modern, which allows the setting to be easily relatable to a contemporary audience, which is also applicable to the costumes and props utilized. As there are only two characters, performance is key; the close-ups and two-shots begin to develop the relationship.

Emotional Response
It is easily interpreted from the text that actions of paedophilia and child molestation are unethical, disgusting and morally wrong; however the other themes within the film are those of the universal invulnerability of youth culture today; more street smart and knowledgeable than ever. The realism and audience position set by Slade is so to develop safeguards and morals of modern online culture, as well as to entertain, thrill and actively allow the audience to develop their own thought-provoking interpretation of this often difficult-to-discuss issue.