Eye Candy

"Strangers shouldnt talk to little girls."

Hard Candy was perhaps the first movie I fell in love with. Not only was it strikingly beautiful, (props to Ellen Page's mojo working on my teenage hormones) it also told a compelling story about a minor taking control of the world that surrounded her, and justice into her own hands.

Im going to try and talk very little about the plot itself, because you mightn't have seen the film before, and I intend to keep these posts spoiler free. Because I care about you and your film-watching experience. ♥

One thing I will talk about though, is colour. A rather sober, minimalistic use of colour in this film ends up producing a distinct visual signature. The subtle changes in saturation, brightness and temperature of this rather simple array of colours take us through the whole range of emotional atmospheres. 

From warm, tender cuteness:

To cold hostility:

(Cold hostile cuteness)

The colours express and accentuate the emotions that the actors convey, and are a way for us to enter the emotional subjectivity of the characters. At points it is also used as a foreshadowing element, but ill let you see that for yourself.

*To all of you Analog lovers out there, please contain your orgasms* The colouring for the film was done in the laboratory (over the film negative itself) instead of working over digital video with an editing program. Which means that the colourist, Jean-Clement Soret, had to scan the whole film frame by frame using a digital intermediate program, edit the colours and then taking the film to the laboratory so that the colours could be altered. 

(Pictured: God)

Being a psychological thriller, the film does a great job of keeping the suspense alive throughout, raising many questions about the motives and truthfulness of the characters, and not hinting any obvious answers. You are always engaged trying to solve these questions, begging for the camera to give you a hint of the reality beyond the tightly enclosed frames. 

With unwaveringly intense performances by Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson, a narrative that will keep you guessing right until the last frame, and stunning visual beauty, Hard Candy is certainly a must-watch.