This edgy thriller presents us with two characters for which our sympathies during the course of the film will flip flop. The fact that Jeff Kohlver (Patrick Wilson, ANGELS IN AMERICA) is a pedophile and 14-year-old Hayley Stark (Ellen Page, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND) is a torturing sociopath makes that a disturbing affair.
Jeff has picked up Hayley in a chat room. She sets up a face-to-face meeting at a coffee shop and before too long she has gotten herself invited to his house. He prepares a drink for her, which she refuses because she’s been taught never to take a drink that she hasn’t seen prepared. It’s good advice and Jeff should have heeded it. Hayley has drugged Jeff and tied him to a chair, taunting him with her search for evidence of his crimes, which may even include murder.
Director David Slade (feature debut) keeps his camera close to his characters, giving the audience very little breathing room right from the start. When he does chose to widen our view, it’s often to eerie effect such as the moment when Jeff kisses Hayley’s feet in the parking lot of the coffee shop. As the story progresses, the tension only ratchets up, reaching a torture scene — while not overtly graphic — that will still have every male in the audience cringing.
Brian Nelson’s screenplay is deft at slowly revealing information and never telling us too much. The story is not about what has led up to this moment, which is only hinted at especially when it comes to Hayley, but about the moment itself. Part of the twisted fun is picking pieces of information out and formulating one’s own histories for the characters. Jeff is easier because for the most part we know when he’s lying and when he’s telling the truth, but Hayley is not at all what she seems, which makes her even more fascinating.
A film like this hinges on the performances of its actors, who in this case rise to the challenge. Wilson is emerging as a top talent, who brings an unforced, uneasy creepiness to his part. However, the revelation is Ellen Page. She is a force. She was 17 when she filmed the role and her maturity and subtly is brilliant. Smaller indie films dealing with edgier subjects don’t get Oscar buzz too often, but Page’s performance warrants it. This eerie examination of the dark places humans can go is provocative for reasons we may not expect. It makes us wonder — are we bad if we’re rooting for either a pedophile or sociopath?
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
