hard+candy--Nichol+L.

hard candy--Nichol L. After three weeks of chatting with the 32 year old fashion photographer Jeff Kohlver over the internet, 14 year-old Hayley Stark meets him in the Nighthawks coffee shop. Hayley flirts with him in spite of the age difference and proposes to go to his house. Once there she prepares Jeff a screwdriver and he passes out. When he awakes, he is tied up to a chair, and Hayley accuses him of pedophilia. Jeff denies the accusation and Hayley begins to torture him in a cat and mouse game .**SOCIAL:** The 2005 film //Hard Candy//, directed by David Slade is a modern take of the Red Riding Hood fairy tale. It "turns the tables" in that a teenage **girl** tortures a **man** when she is convinced that he is a pedophile. Little Red Riding Hood becomes the wolf and the wolf becomes the helpless victim. Not only are gender roles reversed; but, also, positions of power. This film should be used with grade twelve because of its violence and mature themes. Another challenge of the film is the graphic nature of one scene wherein the antagonist, Jeff, is castrated. (This can easily be eliminated because it doesn't further the plot of the film. The protagonist already tortures the antagonist culminating in the catstration. This can be narrated to the students without it being shown.) In the aforementioned, "Hard Candy" is based on the fairy tale //The Little Red Riding Hood.// Pedagogically, students are given a well-known textual background to the film. They, most likely, will not have to re-read the fairy tale. In re-telling the story, they will, however, have to think about the text from a critical perspective. For this reason, the mature content of the film and its dark, foreboding themes, I would suggest this film be used in English 12U. It can, also, be used in the senior levels of psychology, sociology, or media. Looking at this film, one might wonder about the perceived innocence of Little Red. She is wearing "red", a colour that typically represents passion, desire, and sensuality. One disturbing interpretation of //Little Red Riding Hood// is that she was asking for her demise. She can be seen as a "tease" with her acknowledgement of the wolf's big teeth and ears. Her walk through the woods rather than the path can be seen as her tendency towards reckless abandon. Blaming Little Red for her demise further victimizes the victim, however. This often occurs when rape victims come forward and are put on the stand in court. In //The Accused,// Jodie Foster is blamed for her having been gang raped in a local bar. When put on the stand, attention is drawn to her style of dress and "loose" behaviour. This demonized female is a common theme with its origins dating to the time of Adam and Eve. Many schools, private or otherwise, encourage a dress code. Catholic schools, for instance, have banned the use of the kilt because young, female students were wearing them too short. Having gone to a Catholic school, I was aware of female students that would wear nothing underneath the kilt in the hope of "teasing" male students. This behaviour can be very dangerous. When Hayley was chatting to Jeff, she flirted with him knowing his age and possible intentions. She met with him in a coffee shop and practically invited herself to his house. Although she felt in control of the situation, given their age difference, this could have gone wrong and Hayley end up compromising her life. Many young females in "chat rooms" meet people anonymously on the internet and end up being raped and/or murdered. Hayley, is a fourteen-year old female. This being 2011, women need to see themselves in dominant roles. Although two wrongs do not make things right and violence is never the answer to life's problems, this movie speaks to a younger demographic. Also, the protagonist and her victim meet each other in a chat room, The high school audience can relate to the advantages and disadvantages of using technology. It's use and/or misuse is further explored in the film. As educators, we must attempt to disturb the status quo. In doing so, we can encourage inquiry-based learning. In terms of differentiated learning, the use of this type of media assists visual and kinesthetic learners. Regardless of the content, students can learn how to process information critically. Have students find another film with a female protagonist who causes a "twist" in the audience perception of a commonly male-dominated role. Once your film has been selected and permission granted by the teacher, write a 500 - 750-word comparative essay on your film and "Hard Candy". Identify the protagonist and antagonist in your film. Compare and contrast them to Hayley and Jeff in "Hard Candy". How does your film end? Compare this to the ending of this film. Does the female protagonist prevail or does her life end in demise?
 * TEXTUAL:**
 * TOPIC:**
 * ACTIVITY:**
 * ACTIVITY QUESTIONS:**
 * OVERALL EXPECTATIONS:**
 * 1. Understanding and Responding to Media Texts**
 * 2. Deconstructing Media Texts**
 * 1.2 identify and explain the messages and meanings of media texts**