"Thoroughbreds" is a new American 90-minute movie from 2017 and this one was written and directed by Cory Finley and as it is his very first career effort, this is a pretty decent achievement I would say. This is the story of two female friends who were very close years ago and they meet again after a pretty long time with both fighting their own battles. One struggles with her unlikable stepfather, the other with the fact that she is unable to feel anything, neither positive nor negative. And in this context I liked how she went for hugs at times while seeming so cold and distant pretty much for the entire rest of the movie. The key plot is the girls' idea to kill the man I mentioned earlier and how they try to get a drug seller to commit this horrible act for them through blackmail. Well yeah, the solution with regard to this character (played by the late Anton Yelchin) is one I liked too I guess because it felt realistic. But there were also moments I did not enjoy too much I must say, for example the thriller element is never on par with what it could have been given the subject. The film does not go for cheap scenes of indicating sexual references or anything like that and that's okay. Olivia Cooke is stunning enough already anyway and some others will probably like her co-lead Anya Taylor-Joy too I am sure. So something for everybody, at least the straight males. The movie received a great deal of awards recognition already. Sure it's not one that will score at the Oscars or so, but it is fine for what it is. And as tragic as virtually every character here may seem, it is tough to say who is the worst and least likable by them. I think the mother sure is a contender as she basically only lives through satisfying her new man. And can you make excuses for anybody here? Maybe for Cooke's character because she is really sick and also for how she sacrifices herself at the ending. It's almost tragic how her "friend" rejects her letter then. I could have done without the epilogue as a whole I must admit, but yeah I also did not like the scene of the actual act towards the end as much as I hoped I would, even if the camera on one place not showing anything except the blood on one of the two "heroes" is all we get to see. It's not that bad though either. Overall, it felt a bit hard to believe the idea, especially how quickly she agrees to actually kill the dad compared to how opposed she was initially, but the decision by the parents to send her away is one that only partially explains this change in mind. It's a fairly good character study though when it comes to Cooke's character, how she is way more fragile than she seems and tries everything to please her friend. All in all, not among the very best of the year, but certainly worth checking out. Maybe it is just that my expectations were a bit too high that I did not enjoy the film as much as I hoped I would. I still believe you should check it out, also fairly fitting for a DVD night where it is probably not a worse watch than at the theater. Not a film that needs to be seen on the big screen. And yes, it is much better than the series I am referencing in the title of my review.
Review of Thoroughbreds
