Ｈａｒｄ Ｃａｎｄｙ（２００５）

Hard Candy is an intense psychological drama， with incredible performances by both Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson. The two actors are practically the only two people with lines in the film， aside from some brief appearances by Sandra Oh and Jennifer Holmes. There are also questions that remain unanswered until the end of the film， when everything is wrapped up nicely—leaving you puzzled to the true identities and motives of the characters throughout most of the duration.

Director: David Slade

Cast: Patrick Wilson， Ellen Page， Sandra Oh， Odessa Rae， Gilbert John

Synopsis:

After three weeks chatting with the thirty-two years old photographer Jeff Kohlver in Internet， the fourteen years old Hayley Stark meets him in the Nighthawks coffee shop. Hayley flirts with him in spite of the difference of ages and proposes to go to his house. Once there， she prepares screwdriver for them and Jeff passes out. When he awakes， he is tied up to a chair， and Hayley accuses him of pedophilia. Jeff denies， and Hayley begin to torture him， in a mouse and cat game.

Scene 1—at Nighthawks sales counter

(Jeff invites Hayley to have coffee together.)

Hayley: Oh， so good. I want more.

Geoff: Don’t get greedy.

Hayley: Geoff?

Geoff: Hayley.

Hayley: Oh my god!(wipes her mouth)This is like—I was going to be so sophisticated{1} when we met...

Geoff: A little hard to do that with your mouth full of whatever-that-is...

Hayley: It’s great. You should try it...

Geoff: I will.(He takes off a little cream from her lip and tastes it.) Yum{2}.

Hayley: That’s what I was thinking.

Geoff: Pardon?

Hayley: Well. You know. You don’t look like the kind of guy who has to meet girls over the Internet.

Geoff: I think it’s better to talk to people online first. You get to know what they’re like inside. You work as a photographer， you find out real quick: people’s faces lie.

Hayley: Does my face lie?

Geoff: I look at those eyes and see... a girl who reads Zadie Smith... who listens to John Mayer and Coldplay... who loves old Monty Python episodes{3}... and who desperately... deeply... sadly... wants... needs... longs for{4}... more... chocolate.

Hayley:(laughing) Excellent judge of character! Two raspberry{5} truffles{6}， two lemon ganaches， two milk creams...

Geoff: What’s a ganache?

Hayley: You don’t know ganaches? You’re lucky you’re with a woman of the world to introduce you to such things.

Scene 2—Jeff’s living room

Jeff is in one of his Aaron chairs， and tied in. His wrists are tied to the armrests， his ankles to the legs. He’s baffled， too groggy to understand what’s happened to him.

Hayley: Did you call me?

Geoff: Wha-?

Hayley: Just looking through your medicine cabinet{7}. Boring! No Valley of the Dolls stuff at all. Can’t help wondering， though， why all the lubricants.

Geoff: I...

Hayley: You’ll tell me when you’re ready， I guess. Take your time.

Geoff: What did you...?

Hayley: Remember that I said about not drinking anything you didn’t see made yourself? Good advice for everyone.

Geoff: Sorry you were out for no long. I’ve never drugged anyone before!

Hayley: When I swiped{8} this from my dad， it didn’t come with any directions! And I couldn’t very well ask him how much it would take to knock someone out{9}， huh?!Then again， maybe I used more than I thought. Those screwdrivers{10} could have affected my judgment， ya think?

Geoff: Donn understand...

(Harley pours him a glass of water from the tap， brings it over and carefully holds it to his mouth.)

Hayley: Have some water. It’ll help you come to. It’s real water.

Geoff: This isn’t funny.

Hayley: True. True.

Geoff: What the hell is this...?

Hayley: Give me a moment. I want to look through the drawers over there. People keep the strangest things. I mean， why would you hang onto{11} Albert Belle? Something can’t be explained.

Geoff: This is some... teenage joke?

Hayley: Teenage， yes. Jokes， no. We have way too many Triple-A batteries at our house， too. Why do they even make these?

Geoff: Let me go! Let me go!

Scene 3—on the roof of Jeff’s apartment， day

Jeff finds Hayley on the roof， and tries to kill her.

Hayley: I thought you’d never get here.

Geoff: You dropped this. (He pulls himself up to the roof， knife in one hand.)

Hayley: I had to.

Geoff: Oh， yeah?

Hayley: Otherwise you might’ve stayed down there forever. What were you doing， jerking off? Oh， silly me， you can’t!

Geoff: What?

Hayley: You’re never going to get much entertainment down there again， are you? Every time you want to use that， you’re gonna remember your balls ground up in the garbage disposal{12}.

Geoff: Which do you want to fuck first， me or the knife?

(But he stops when she lifts up his gun.)

Hayley: Nope. Huh-huh. No way.

Geoff: You don’t know how to use that.

Hayley: Now you’re kidding， right? You forgot I’m an honor student? Nothing I can’t learn when I set my...

(Without warning he throws the belly chain at her. She fines into the air as she falls off.)

Hayley: Nice try. Now throw the knife in the backyard.

Geoff: Or you’ll shoot again? Shoot me. What’s stopping you?

Hayley: It’s not me you have to worry about. It’s Janelle. I called her. I said I was Lientenant Hayley from LAPD. How far does she live， Geoff? The deal’s still open. Put the noose around your neck， you end the whole game. I’ll stick pick up the evidence， but you’re running out of time.

Geoff: Who...are you?

Vocabulary

{1} sophisticated: developed to a high degree of complexity.

{2} yum: used to express pleasure at eating， or at the prospect of eating， a particular food.

{3} episode: an event or a group of events occurring as part of a larger sequence; an incident or period considered in isolation.

{4} long for: want. Here Geoff uses several similar words to create a flirting feeling， but end with something funny.

{5} raspberry: an edible soft fruit related to the blackberry， consisting of a cluster of reddish-pink drupelets.

{6} truffle: a soft candy made of a chocolate mixture， typically flavored with rum and covered with cocoa.

{7} cabinet: a cupboard with drawers or shelves for storing or displaying articles.

{8} swipe: hit or try to hit with a swinging blow.

{9} knock out: make a person unconscious， typically with a blow to the head.

{10} screwdriver: a tool with a flattened， cross-shaped， or star-shaped tip that fits into the head of a screw to turn it.

{11} hang onto: keep; retain : he is determined to hang on to his job.

{12} disposal: the action of throwing away or getting rid of something.

編輯/楊明珠