Rarely do movies have only two actors. In Before Sunrise (1995), the audience follows two characters as they meet and fall in love. The characters in Hard Candy do exactly the opposite - they try to kill each other. True, it is extremely difficult to interest an audience with only two actors on screen, but the story, acting and directing was so incredibly mesmerizing, it didn't even feel like I was watching a film.

I felt like I was right in the room with these two people filled with intensity. The story begins when two online chatters, Hayley (Ellen Page) and Jeff (Patrick Wilson), decide to finally meet at a local coffee shop. Their conversation develops into a better connection between the two; they have the same taste in music and are obviously attracted to each other. There's a problem, though - Hayley is 14-years-old while Jeff is 32. But this isn't the climax of the story. On the contrary, it's just the beginning.

Hayley and Jeff were already aware of each other's ages, and the audience can see that nothing good can come of this relationship. But still, Jeff candidly tells Hayley that he's "very aware of the legal boundaries," then invites her to his house where he allows her to drink alcohol. It's obvious Jeff has ulterior motives, but he has no idea what Hayley has in store for him.

Other critics said the story for Hard Candy was roughly based upon a case in which Japanese schoolgirls lured older men over the Internet, only to beat them up. Screenwriter Brian Nelson and director David Slade take this incident even further. I don't think these schoolgirls carried out anything as elaborate and methodical as Hayley. She is convinced that Jeff is a pedophile and murderer of a recent missing girl. Therefore, he must be punished by someone who represents his victim - another young girl. Hayley spends a great amount of time prepping a procedure to perform on Jeff in order to seek revenge on what he's done.

Hayley's devices of torture are so extreme that the audience may question her sanity. Often times, I went back and forth in allegiances between the two characters. Throughout the film, Jeff pleads that he's being falsely accused but Hayley doesn't listen. Is Jeff really guilty of what Hayley has accused him of?

Every step of the way, I intently watched these two characters develop. The acting in Hard Candy was surprisingly incredible. Hayley was convincing as a conniving and sly young woman pretending to be a naive little girl. And Jeff was great as a desperate and helpless man trying to escape his inevitable sentence.

For those of you that are going to avoid this film because it may be too graphic, the movie actually doesn't show anything. Much like Pulp Fiction (1994), the violence is implied, but never explicitly shown. Of course, this psychological thriller does confront some uncomfortable subject matter. Some scenes definitely make you squirm in your seat, but also entice you to watch every second.

Kristin's Grade: A-

Director: David Slade
Screenwriter: Brian Nelson
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Running Time: 103 minutes
Rated: R (for disturbing violent and aberrant sexual content involving a teen, and for language)