Review: Candy Land

As a whole I can say that Candy Land might well be the most brutal film I’ve ever seen. That’s saying a lot when I’ve entertained such fare as The Exorcist, Saw, the French horrors Inside and Martyrs and Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist and even the notorious Serbian Film.

However. I find that Candy Land gets under my skin in a way that these films never did. Its a little too grounded, a little too real, a little too close to the world I seek to escape from with cinema. The film is as I have said brutal, it is ugly and unfiltered and all too real. From quite early on in its run time it was uncomfortable to watch with its honest depiction of the life of lot lizards. For those who aren’t in the know lot lizards is the common term used for truck stop prostitutes and Candy Land is unflinchingly graphic in both visuals as well as narrative.

To avoid spoilers the general premise involves four prostitutes at the local truck stop motel as well as their madame and the local sheriff going about their corrupt and broken lives. The status quo is interrupted however by the arrival of a fringe Christians and their abandonment of a young female member with events further punctuated by acts of rape and violence.

Thematically the film revolves around faith and dysfunction and the general meanness of life. It is not a pretty story and not one for the faint of heart and honestly not a film I am likely to visit again. Some films are just like that, one viewing is enough for a lifetime. While Candy Land is in no means grotesque I found it difficult to find a character to really root for. All of these people are severely damaged goods. At best I ended up feeling sorry for the lives most had chosen to lead but true empathy was in short supply.

For all of that the film is still grossly engaging in the way that a horrific accident or event are, there is that perverse desire to see more, that malfunction of the human psyche to be drawn to the macabre and to observe with fascination the worst the world has to offer. The family of characters within, and make no mistake there is a family here, are purposely the antithesis of what family is supposed to be. While they do genuinely care for one another it’s not enough for any of them to find redemption. Instead they wallow in their tainted bond as a means of solace.

The acting is quite good and the characters live and breath with absolute life in this seedy world that they cling to. Its truth even if its an ugly truth in which some characters can mistake lustful obsession for love and maternal caring can be completely predatory when the opportunity to make money off a fresh face arises. The relationships make a terrible sort of sense in the context of this story which make unfolding events all the more tragic by the end.

The film is without a doubt beautifully shot. The choice of angles, focal points and camera movement are inspired. I would recommend any aspiring director or cinematographer pay close attention to the camera work in this film. I really appreciate the framing of the wider shots and the use of pulled focus but my favorite shots included the camera “walking” at foot level following a pair of bare feet and the overhead angle of Rimy kneeling to pray.

I do feel motivated to include that Candy Land feels purposely anti-Christian. I do not say this lightly. I wish I could say it’s just a plot point or story device but I can’t and if I’m going to be objective that is my honest takeaway. Which sadly makes the film even more of a downer by the end as there is no hope to be given anywhere.

Candy Land is a rough film to watch. Its not afraid to get down into the muck and explore a nasty bit of subcultures that exist. It builds to its climax masterfully and the pacing never dragged or left me bored, go into this one with your eyes open!

3.5 out of 5

Director: John Swab
Screenwriter: John Swab
Starring: Olivia Luccardi, William Baldwin, Sam Quartin, Owen Campbell, Virginia Rand, Guinevere Turner, Eden Brolin
Producers: Jeremy M. Rosen, John Swab
Executive Producers: Robert Ogden Barnum, Michael Reiser
Cinematographer: Will Stone
Editors: John David Allen, Andrew Aaronson
Music Supervisor: Jeremy M. Rosen
Music by: David Sardy

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