Thoroughbreds (2017)

Black comedies are that weird oddity that can scratch that craving you may not have known you wanted. The bizarre premise and characters involved can take directions that leaves many wondering about what they just experienced. They can test you on how you would be able to handle such dark circumstances that the protagonists find themselves in conflict with. A common occurrence a portion of them have in common is these main characters tend to be high school students dealing with a dark topic that's beyond their understanding or control. This brings us to Thoroughbreds, one such film that seemed to have that aforementioned checklist filled out and was accompanied with confusing trailers that don't entirely talk about what's going on (which was great for the viewing experience). Debuting at Sundance last year and featuring some familiar actors, it received positive critical reception and had its world premiere earlier this month. I went into the auditorium ready to see what this dark adult feature was capable of and left it mostly impressed.

Plot: The story follows two distant and different high school girls, one being popular and the other a psychopathic, who reunite and end up conspiring to kill the formers abusive step-father (because of course it's always the step parent who carries that trait). There are elements of a horror thriller involved with how the camera shots are utilized whether it's following someone from behind as they are walking or lingering on unknown shadows, which adds a unique flavor to this thriller. It relies on the strength of the interactions between the main leads that provide great insight in the psyche of these contrasting high schoolers. The pacing is rather smooth for the first two acts and allows the dynamics to feel fascinating to observe throughout the film.

However, the biggest issues with this plot is the third act, which somehow rushes itself into a payoff that doesn't feel as satisfying as it should be. The time spent on the conflict needed more time in that section to add more impact to the situation (one of the times where the runtime being short causes affects the quality). Conceptually it should have been enough but there wasn't enough material provided near the end to stick the landing it wanted to and feels rather weirdly incomplete. So while the ideas being presented through the girls relationship are great to watch, the resolution is hindered by its inability to execute its concept smoothly.

Characters: The people to focus on are Amanda (Olivia Cooke), Lily (Anya Taylor Joy), and Mark (Paul Sparks). Amanda is a psychopathic high schooler with some mental health issues that prevent her from feeling any kind of emotions who proposes killing Lily's stepfather. Olivia gives one of her best performances as she conveys the blunt emotionless nature that contributes to great interactions. Lily is a popular upper-class high schooler who feels everything and hates her stepfather. Anya is also excellent here as she manages to portray passive aggressive behavior that erupts more later on.

Mark is Lily's mean step-father whom she dislikes. While Paul gives a good performance, with the exception of one or two scenes, he overdoes his temperament of his archetype, which often clashes a bit with the story's tone. An honorable mention goes to Tim (Anton Yelchin) for his final acting role, but it should be noted that despite being feature in the marketing, he doesn't have that much screen time (only 10 minutes).

Overall Consensus: Thoroughbreds thrives on its lead actors performances, great camera shots, and solid handling of its genre, but holds itself back with the payoff in the ending. ⭑⭑⭑1/2🎟 Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes R

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You like black comedy thrillers with  teenagers facing a potentially dangerous problem. You enjoy watching camera shots that entice a sense of horror and suspense. You love seeing two people with contrasting personalities interact that leads to evaluating their behavioral psyche.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You dislike black comedy thrillers with teenagers facing a potentially dangerous problem. You hate rushed third acts that disrupt that good pacing of the first two thirds. You dislike teenagers that are either upper class or feel no emotions.