Has anyone else seen this controversial movie? It stars Ellen Page of recent "Juno" fame. She plays a victim of molestation that enacts revenge on two pedophiles. Before I say more, I'd like to read what anyone else has to say.

Wendy

I watched most of this film the other night, and plan to catch up with the rest of it.

It is an extremely disturbing movie, which I found gripping, but difficult to watch. It is well written, well directed, and very well acted, but almost relentessly sadistic. It is obviously meant to provoke, and it hits it's target square on. This is not the movie to watch if you are looking to simply wile away a few hours and relax.

But, Gamemaster1967, the character played by Ellen Page is not a victim of sexual molestation (or a victim of anything else), and there was only one adult male character (played by Patrick Wilson) who is presumed to be a pedophile. Most of the tension comes from the fact that this is a two-character drama, that takes place in rather confined quarters, and involves a monumental power struggle between those two people.

I firmly believe Ellen Page's character was a victim exacting her own form of punishment. All of her amazing skills, and the subtext therein, point to her being a victim once herself. Knowing many victims, I picked up the signs easily. She was TOO angry to not have experienced it first hand. Yes, I could be wrong, but my perception was revenge, not avenge.

Page's character says she is an avenger , for those who have been sexually abused, molested, and murdered. There are no indications that she herself has been victimized. We really know next to nothing about her background. If she were a victim, it would be possible to have some sympathy for her. I felt no sympathy for her, her actions were simply horrifying.

Apparently the idea for the movie came from a news item in Japan about young girls luring men for sex and then victimizing them:

Quote:

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The idea for Hard Candy came from a news story on 20/20 producer David W. Higgins saw about young Japanese girls who would lure older businessmen to a location with the promise of sex and would assault and mug the men with a gang of other girls once the men arrived.This led him to wonder, "What if the person you expect to be the predator is not who you expect it to be? What if it's the other person?" He then hired writer Brian Nelson to flesh out the idea.

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So the screenwriter was not thinking about an angry victim seeking revenge, but rather creating a situation where the ostensible "prey" turns out to be the real predator.

As a society, we have such strong emotional reactions to pedophiles, and we voice such strong feelings about what we would really like to do to them, that this movie just carries it to the logical extreme in terms of meting out the punishment some would probably like to see happen.

What did you think of the movie, Gamemaster1967?

I saw it over a year ago and I liked it very much.

It was refreshing to see the supposed victim turn the tables on the predator.

There were a few things that were unbelievable (like a 5' girl overpowering a grown man), but I felt they were minor in the whole dynamic of the movie. I admit there were some scenes that were excruciating to watch, but if you keep viewing until the end you realize things are not always as they seem.

Great breakthrough role for Ellen Page. I noticed that Hard Candy was not discussed in all the Oscar hype over her nomination for her role in Juno. I'm sure that was deliberate considering the content of Hard Candy.

I dare any guy to sit through the entire movie.

I believe like many movies, this one is left up to the viewer to decide if she was a victim or not. I completely believe she was one, and was exacting revenge of her own on behalf of the girls these two men had hurt.

I loved the movie, and felt the men got what they were asking for. I know someone personally who was raped from the time she was eight years old by her father. This is what he deserves. I'm not saying I could do it myself, but Ellen Page pulled off this character perfectly.

I too, dare any man to sit through the movie. And, it was a man who recommended it to me to watch.

Wendy

Movies about pedophiles aren't very common. Have either of you seen The Woodsman with Kevin Bacon? That's another fine film, with a completely different perspective on the subject.

Yes, I did see The Woodsman. I agree, well done film.