Hard Candy (film)

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Hard Candy
movie poster featuring Ellen Page as bait in an oversized bear trap.
Directed by	David Slade
Produced by	Paul G. Allen Rosanne Korenberg
Written by	Brian Nelson
Starring	Ellen Page Patrick Wilson Sandra Oh
Cinematography	Jo Willems
Editing by	Art Jones
Distributed by	Lions Gate Entertainment
Release date(s)	April 14, 2006 (USA)
Language	English
Budget	$1,000,000 (est.)
IMDb profile

Hard Candy is a 2005 film about Hayley Stark, a 14-year-old girl who meets Jeff, a 32-year-old photographer who might be a sexual predator. The two first get to know each other on the Internet before meeting in person at a local coffee shop, which results in a trip to Jeff's home; however, Jeff soon learns that Hayley is not as innocent as she appears. The title "Hard Candy" comes from the internet slang for an under-aged girl. ^[1]

It is British director David Slade's first feature film, having previously worked mostly with music videos.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Hard Candy opens with an online conversation displayed on a computer screen, between two people named Thonggrrrl14 and Lensman319. The two agree to meet in person at a local coffee shop. Hayley Stark, a 14-year-old girl (Ellen Page, 17-years-old at the time of release at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005) and Jeff Kohlver (Patrick Wilson), a 32-year-old photographer, engage in innocent conversation about literature, music and food (Hayley is especially fond of chocolate).

Talking about having to wait for things, Jeff mentions as example, that he has to wait four years for Hayley to come of age. Hayley says jokingly (although we later see that it's no joke) that 4 out of 5 doctors think she is insane. At one point in the coffee shop she accidentally exposes a medical handbook, and explains this by saying that her father, who is a professor at a medical school, is allowing her to audit a class. After discussing the band Goldfrapp, Jeff says that he has a bootleg MP3 copy of their latest live concert that he attended, and that Hayley was disappointed that she missed. She suggests that she go back to his house so that she can listen to the recording. Jeff agrees and he drives her to his house.

At Jeff's home, Hayley listens to the recording of the Goldfrapp concert while Jeff pours two glasses of icewater in the kitchen. Jeff goes to hand her a glass, but Hayley declines stating that she (as a young person) was taught to never drink something she hasn't poured herself. Jeff offers to pour it again, while she watches, but Hayley jumps at the chance to concoct something a little more exciting from the other ingredients Jeff has in his kitchen, including a bottle of vodka she finds in his freezer. She makes them both screwdrivers.

After a few drinks, Hayley suggests that Jeff take some photographs of her, similar to the ones he has taken of models that are displayed on the walls of his home. He goes to get his camera while Hayley retrieves a CD out of her bag and inserts it into his CD player in the living room. When Jeff returns with his camera he feels dizzy and disoriented. Hayley meanwhile dances and jumps onto his couch and lets Jeff take some photos. He orders her to sit down and soon passes out.

She searches the house, and finds a collection of old letters, which she reads and finds a gun under Jeff's bed, which she casually throws onto the bed.

She has brought along, in addition to the medical handbook, drugs, a rope, a surgeon's scrub, surgical tools (including a scalpel and bulldog clip), a video tape, and a taser.

After first acting friendly and in accordance with her age, it now turns out that Hayley is executing an elaborate plan of sadism and revenge for crimes and other inappropriate behavior she suspects him of having committed. She turns out to be very much against chatting like they have done, and meetings like they agreed on: it was all a trap.

Jeff has made photographs of underage girls, they hang on the walls. Although they are legal, Hayley thinks this is suspect. In a safe she finds a photograph of missing person Donna Mauer, also an underage girl, as well as several unclear pictures of child pornography. Hayley suspects Jeff of killing Donna, but he denies it. Hayley also finds several photos on Jeff's computer that she cannot open and are not titled. Hayley suspects that these are child pornography pictures, although she has no proof.

Hayley psychologically tortures Jeff by telling him she is going to castrate him. She reads aloud his e-mails and letters to him. She pretends to castrate him, with much detail, while he watches the operation "live" on a TV near him. The operation is really a tape, and the blood and testicles she removes (and grinds down the garbage disposal) are fake.

Hayley tells Jeff she is going to have a shower and Jeff takes the opportunity to free himself from the rope, discovers that he's "all there" and the operation was not real. Jeff dials 911 into his mobile phone but decides against calling. Instead, he picks up the scalpel with the intention of using it on Hayley. He enters the bathroom and pulls the shower curtain aside, behind which is nothing but a running shower. Hayley, anticipating this move, emerges from behind the bathroom door and overpowers him with the taser. Jeff is partially paralysed by the taser and Hayley leaves him in the bathroom to clean up the house, removing evidence against her such as the surgical equipment, and wiping down everything she has touched, to remove her fingerprints. Meanwhile, Jeff has laboriously crawled his way out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Hayley casually steps over him and tasers him in the back.

After Jeff passes out again from being tasered multiple times, Hayley calls Jeff's ex-girlfriend (Janelle) whom Jeff is still madly in love with and hopes to win back someday. When she calls Janelle, Hayley pretends she is a police officer and tells Janelle she needs to come to Jeff's house and that there has been a horrible accident. Hayley also writes Janelle an email (as herself), saying that she and Jeff are in love but that she is worried that Janelle and Jeff may get back together. Hayley reveals that she is underage and that Jeff still has feelings for Janelle. More importantly, however, Hayley attaches the pictures she was unable to open on Jeff's computer and asks Janelle if they are pictures of her. Hayley never sends this email, however, and uses it to taunt and frighten Jeff.

When Jeff wakes up again, he finds himself standing on a chair with a noose around his neck. Hayley tells him that she has written his suicide note and that Janelle is already on the way. She tells Jeff that he should simply kill himself to save himself from being embarrassed when it is revealed that he is a child pornographer. She says that if he kills himself, she won't let anyone know what she has discovered and his secret will die with him. Jeff breaks free from the noose and pursues Hayley, who manages to get all her belongings out of his house (including the rope used for the noose). She climbs onto the roof and ties the rope around the chimney and creates another noose. When Jeff finds her on the roof he threatens her and says he is going to kill her (which is strange since she has a gun and he has a kitchen knife). As they are arguing, Janelle pulls into the driveway and starts looking for Jeff. He says that he is going to tell Janelle what has happened to him (how Hayley has tortured him) and call the police. Hayley laughs and says that she will simply claim that Jeff is lying and that he raped her (she says she'll simply tear her clothes and run crying to Janelle).

Eventually, Jeff realizes Hayley has won and he decides to kill himself. As he is putting the noose on, he claims he didn't kill Donna, but that he watched her get killed by another man. Hayley tells Jeff that the other man said the exact same thing to her right before he killed himself, as Jeff is about to do. Thus, it is revealed that Hayley has already discovered Jeff's accomplice and tortured him in a similar manner. As he is preparing to jump from the roof and hang himself, he asks Hayley to promise to not let anyone see his photos and not tell anyone his secrets. Hayley promises, only to take the promise back after Jeff is in the process of jumping.