Thoroughbreds review

Now onto my favourite film of the festival...

Thoroughbreds is about two teenage girls, who used to be friends and recently reunited, who decide that they should end the life of the step-father of one of them.

This is a nihilist, dark comedy with some excellent characters and sharp dialogue.

The two leads are Amanda (Olivia Cooke), who doesn't feel anything and can often be seen faking emotions, and Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy), who strives for success no matter the method and hates her step dad. After Amanda notices a few things about him that Amanda can't stand, she proposes the idea the off him.

Part of the greatness of the film is the question of whether we should be rooting for these girls or not. Because the film is told from their perspective, you assume that they are right. But when you think about their motives, their fairly minor. Lily's stepdad never does anything evil, nor does he ever try to harm her. Sure, he acts a bit full of himself at times, but no more than the protagonists. There is also the instability of the protagonists to consider. At first, Lily seems fairly well adjusted. She tutors Amanda, she goes to parties, you see that she generally gets on well with other people. But as the film goes on, you find out she, like Amanda, is damaged.

There is also a running theme of your future being defined by your image. Amanda has a violent past, and brings up the point that this would make her too obvious a suspect in the murder. The drug dealer (Anton Yelchin) they consider for the murder often goes on about how he's working various jobs to support himself until he moves up in the world. And yet, his status stays the same until the end.

It's fair to say there's a fair amount of on screen talent here. Cooke and Taylor-Joy are both on track to becoming recognised as great actors. And before his unfortunate death, Anton Yelchin was establishing himself well by picking a variety of interesting projects. But, the talent off screen is equally impressive. The film is written by Cory Finley, a playwright who never stepped onto a film set before making Thoroughbreds. If he had been working in theatre for a long time, his success here would be less surprising. But the fact that he's under 30 and has less experience, makes the style of the film making and dialogue even more incredible.

In short: Thoroughbreds, is a darkly comic tale of vengeance that could get a strong following if it finds its audience.