Indie cinema is almost always on the front lines when it comes to stylistic shifts in the film industry. Recently, you could see it in projects like Moonlight. Many of the filmmakers who were considered outliers a decade ago are taking home prestigious hardware these days and have become the new standard for excellence in the field. Thoroughbreds isn’t quite on that level, but it’s smart, fun and original in all the right ways.
It had its weaknesses, of course, but for first time writer/director Cory Finley, the overall quality of the film was surprisingly strong. Having full creative control goes a long way and Finley wielded that power with fastidious attention to dialogue. His screenplay was incredibly smart and darkly facetious. Playing the two tones off one another allowed the project to thrive in its strengths rather than drown in a sea of its weaknesses and showed the potential Finley has behind the camera. He had the humility to not only understand where his project worked and where it didn’t, but he had the foresight to avoid those potential pitfalls. He smartly put the success of the film in the hands of his cast and it paid of. The young director already has a couple short film projects in the works and should start to garner more attention through word of mouth. Finley’s definitely on my short-list for Breakthrough Director of 2018.
At the forefront of the strong performances, Olivia Cooke delivered the definitive performance of her young career. She plays Amanda, a borderline sociopath with a penchant for mimicry and a problem making friends. Stripped of any semblance of genuine emotion for the role, Cooke still wields a potent sense of humor that’s penetratingly honest. Obviously the script helped, but she did a marvellous job making the humor stick without ever really telling a joke. A testament to her performance and the authenticity on Finley’s part. For years she was one of the strongest elements of the Bates Motel TV series, so it’s nice to see her in a featured role that takes full advantage of her talents. It’s going to be a big year for her with a starring role in Ready Player One due out at the end of March. Her stock is going to skyrocket once she gets some broader exposure and I have her as a frontrunner for Breakthrough Performer of 2018.
Opposite Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy displayed some added layers of depth playing Amanda’s friend Lily. The two aren’t friends in the conventional sense, they used to be and were sort of forced back together due to circumstance. She displays a controlled wickedness…like if Anna Kendrick’s character from Up in the Air was evil. Taylor-Joy broke onto the scene in The Witch and got a lot of work because of her unique look, but movies like Morgan and Split didn’t really do her justice as an actress. Here she got to show a lot more range and even though her character isn’t a good person, her and Cooke are a lot of fun to watch on screen together.
Paul Sparks was exceptional as Lily’s asshole stepfather Mark. He’s a brilliant prick but the only downside is that there wasn’t enough of him. Lily isn’t the most likeable character to begin with and considering the plot revolves around the two young women plotting to kill Mark, there should have been more substance there. Sparks takes full advantage every time he’s on screen and his performance is laced with nuance. There are plenty of times when the character is forwardly a dick, but it’s his micro reactions that make for such a well rounded and enjoyable performance.
It had been a while since I had last seen the late Anton Yelchin on screen. He played Tim, a petty drug dealer with delusions of grandeur who gets lured into the two girls’ plot to eliminate Mark. Yelchin showed that familiar intensity and keen sense of humor that made him a star in the first place, bringing Tim to life as an important piece of the puzzle. While he was good in the role, it was a sad reminder that the talented young actor lost his life in such tragic fashion back in 2016.
Aside from the acting, the most notable element of this film was the music. Erik Friedlander’s original score is one of the most unique pieces of film composition I’ve heard in a long time. Wonderfully strange and absolutely fantastic. Overall, the music is heavily percussive…often ominous and foreboding. There are also some very sharp, piercing string instruments reminiscent of the iconic shower scene in Psycho. You can easily identify woodblocks and even what sounds very noticeably like dripping water, amounting to a rich and deeply layered score that drew inspiration from numerous sources. Friedlander’s arrangement really provided the attitude and keenly psychological tone of the film. He hasn’t scored a lot of projects yet, only two full length features so far, but he did an amazing job on this film and should certainly get recognized. At this point, it’s likely the best and most original film score of the year.
Unfortunately, the end is dissatisfying. As the audience watches the climatic events on screen, the subsequent falling action lacks believability. Considering what we, as the audience, get to witness, there’s almost no logical progression that takes us from point A to point B. While the film is far from perfect, it was thoroughly enjoyable and certainly a strong first effort that could very easily end up being a cult classic down the road.
Recommendation: The nature of the film itself is going to be off putting for some, but if you like psychological thrillers and aren’t too timid, there is plenty to enjoy. There’s still a few weeks left in March with limited competition at the box office, so if you’ve expended your other options then give this one a chance.
Grade: C+