Writer's Note: Didn't quite get around to watching any monster movies or creature features this past weekend- unless you count the wily canines of Isle of Dogs, which I don't, really- but never fear, I've got some Thanksgiving themed creature goodness coming your way in the weeks to come. Until then, I've got some brand spanking new reviews to tide you over for the next couple of days, including one for the aforementioned animated flick. First up, though, I couldn't wait to write about this one! Enjoy, and thanks again for your patience while I took a much-needed break last week.
Full disclosure: I was already somewhat pre-disposed to like this one, as it stars two of my favorite up-and-coming starlets, Anya Taylor-Joy (read more about her here- see #4) and Olivia Cooke, as well as the late, great Anton Yelchin, in what would prove to be his final film role. (The film is dedicated to him.)
However, it wouldn't be the first time I watched a movie that sucked because it had actors in it I liked. Fortunately, such was not the case with Thoroughbreds, a wickedly dark comedy with undertones of Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch. It's basically a Hitchcockian teen thriller that's often been compared to the likes of Heathers or American Psycho, but really, it has a vibe that's all its own.
For one thing, it's way more subtle than either of those films- there's no over-the-top murder or cartoonish caricatures here. Not that, mind you, I don't love both of those movies, just that if you go in expecting anything like that, you're bound to be disappointed, which is where a lot of critics get into trouble with their readers.
Like I said, if you took a Hitchcockian thriller, somewhat in the vein of Strangers on a Train, and you filtered it through a David Lynch-style approach- with lots of artfully-framed shots and character placement and a sense of remove that leads the viewer to feel like they're watching something they shouldn't, as if they're eavesdropping- you'd have Thoroughbreds.
It doesn't really remind me of a specific other film, in other words, but I definitely get the vibe the director, newcomer Cory Finley, was going for. The movie is actually based on a play he wrote, before deciding to go the film route, and it certainly retains some of that approach, given that a lot of it is set in one of the main characters' house, with only occasional sojourns outside into the world, but only when necessary to move forward the plot.
As such, it might feel a bit stagy and static to some people, which is why I brought up Hitchcock and Lynch. If their approach annoys you for precisely that reason, then this is probably not the film for you. But if you like that sort of voyeuristic, fly-on-the-wall vibe, then you should dig this.
The film revolves around two longtime childhood friends, Lily (Taylor-Joy) and Amanda (Cooke), who had a minor falling out when Lily's father died a few years back and Lily became somewhat reclusive and standoffish.
Since then, Lily has become popular and is a highly-intelligent, academically-inclined student that has been acting out as of late, because of her mother (Francie Swift, TV's Outsiders) taking up with a new man, Mark (Paul Sparks, House of Cards), who she hates.
Meanwhile, Amanda caused a recent stir when her pet horse broke its leg and she killed it, to put it out of its misery, but did so in such a horrific way it caused a bit of a scandal in town. As such, her mother offers to pay Lily to spend time with Amanda again, ostensibly as her tutor, in hopes of helping her get back in with the "in-crowd."
What Amanda's mother doesn't quite realize is that Amanda is basically a sociopath that has evaded easy classification from the doctors in her life. She is able to approximate "real" emotions, using what she calls "The Technique," but is incapable of feeling them herself. (I'm pretty sure Amanda means the same type of technique that actors use to feign emotion on film, like crying on cue and seeming to be in love with someone that they often barely know, that sort of thing.)
Amanda figures out what her mother is up to in no time, but isn't that offended by it, and she and Lily rekindle their relationship in spite of the way they got back together. Amanda also picks up on the hatred Lily has for her now-stepfather Mark, who has plans in motion to send her away to a boarding school for girls with "emotional issues."
Amanda offhandedly suggests that they kill Mark, which Lily is shocked by at first, but as her relationship with the man grows ever-more contentious, she begins to consider it in earnest and the two of them try and concoct the perfect plan for murder in such a way they could get away with it.
To that end, they opt to try and blackmail someone into doing it for them, while they are out of town with airtight alibis. Enter local drug dealer, Tim (Yelchin), who has a shady past that involves an accusation of having sex with a minor and selling drugs to underage teens. The two manage to set things up perfectly, but, as these things have a tendency to do, it goes sideways.
Things go from there, getting crazier as they go along, until it seems inevitable that something is going to go even more awry, which, of course, it absolutely does. What ends up happening is both shocking and somewhat inescapable, but all signs already pointed to a tragedy of some kind, so it's not completely out of the blue either. Under the given circumstances, in other words, it makes sense, even if it's all a bit sad. Sort of. (You'll see.)
The end result is a fine directorial debut for Finley that bodes well for his future in film. While its stage-bound roots are clearly evident, so is Finley's talent for staging the events in a way that is eye-catching and visually stunning at times. A big part of that is undeniably cinematographer Lyle Vincent's doing. As Vincent showed in movies like The Bad Batch and Urge, he has a way with imagery that can make even a house-bound film like Thoroughbreds interesting to look at.
But credit where its due to Finley, who clearly knew exactly what he was doing with this film, and no doubt had already blocked out a substantial amount of the movie before they shot a frame, in his planning to bring it to the stage.
For instance, in the making of documentary that accompanies the film on DVD/Blu-Ray, he mentions how he had always planned to shoot a certain death scene a certain way, which was easily one of my favorite scenes in the movie. I know a lot of people actively dislike when action takes place off-screen, and sometimes I do, too, but I really liked the way this film handled it, and more importantly, it suits the overall vibe well.
I also really liked the way the film would help inform a given scene by way of clever use of depth and racking focus. For instance, if you pay attention to the scene in which Lily watches a violent film on TV, you can see her parents (or rather, her mother and stepfather) duck into the back of the frame, expressing concern without actually saying anything. In other words, Finley opts to show something visually, rather than through words, as many would.
These sorts of things aren't actually as stage-bound as some of the other aspects of the film, which is why I think it was wise to go the movie route instead. By showing instead of telling, Finley also shows why making this into a movie instead of a play was the way to go, ultimately. Conversely, the dialogue is clipped and to the point, rarely wasting words- exactly what one would typically do in a good play. In this case, it just happens to suit a movie as well.
A lot of that is thanks to perfect casting. Showing she learned a thing or two about crazy people from her years acting opposite the excellent Freddie Highmore (who played quintessential psychopath Norman Bates) on Bates Motel, as well as from having done her fair share of horror flicks (see also The Quiet Ones, The Signal, Ouija and The Limehouse Golem), Cooke is excellent here, which is a mean feat considering that her character is supposed to be essentially emotionless.
Matching her pound for pound is Taylor-Joy, who continues to build on the goodwill she earned in such fantastic films as The Witch, The Miniaturist and Split. Joy has also done her time as someone basically only emulating emotions in the movie Morgan, so she is able to essentially is able to communicate a similar sort of vibe in Lily, who can go from seeming like a kindred sociopath to Amanda in one moment, to a lost teen in the next, struggling to make do with her given circumstances.
It's a testament to both that you never quite lose sympathy for either, in spite of some of their more unlikable actions throughout the film, which, lest we forget, include blackmail and plotting murder. It certainly doesn't hurt that the film has a wry, deadpan sense of humor that helps the medicine go down, as it were.
Last but not least, I would be remiss not to given a shout-out to Anton Yelchin, in his final role. While it's a supporting character and he isn't on screen that much, he does make an undeniable impression in the role, proving that old adage that "there are no small parts, only small actors," to quote an acting teacher also known for their "technique," Stanislavsky. Yelchin's untimely- and unnecessary- death was a shame, and he will certainly be missed. At least he went out on a good one, as they also say.
Thoroughbreds is indeed a good one, and then some. I suspect it will become a modern-day cult classic in time- so, in that, I suppose it does have something in common with the likes of Heathers and American Psycho, two films that weren't big hits in their respective decades, but have since gone on to be well-regarded by cult film aficionados.
By all means, check it out! 😃
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