There’s an unsettling air of control hovering over Cory Finley’s directorial debut, “Thoroughbreds.”
Lily’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) strict stepfather, Mark (Paul Sparks), lurks in the background of their enormous, empty mansion almost omnisciently. Her mentally unstable friend, Amanda (Olivia Cooke), effortlessly feigns emotion and can cry on command. Even the claustrophobic locations and camerawork are overbearingly oppressive. The film becomes a wonderfully tense ride of unpredictability when this control is lost as Lily and Amanda incapably hatch a plan to kill Mark.
Taylor-Joy and Cooke are great as the pair of mismatched friends. The two excellently trade roles as the straight man of the film — as much as you can in a film about domestic homicide, at least. Without Taylor-Joy’s nuance, Lily might not appeal as a character, and she delivers another impressive performance after last year’s “Split” and “The Witch” before that. The tension between Mark and Lily is sold perfectly. The conflicting dynamics between Lily and Amanda add a complex layer to their friendship that’s convincingly real.
Cooke perfectly captures the crippling hollowness plaguing Amanda in one of the film’s standout roles. It’s a surprisingly multilayered performance that’s, ironically, the film’s most human as well. And while her inability to feel emotion is tragic, it also comes with an amazingly dry sense of humor that scores dark laughs in every scene Cooke is in. This is especially true when she’s paired against Anton Yelchin’s working-class drug dealer, Tim, who steals the show in possibly the best performance of his career, may he rest in peace.
In addition to being a dark comedy, “Thoroughbreds” houses the captivating atmosphere of a horror film, looking surprisingly great as a result. Mark’s mansion is shot in exquisitely smooth tracking shots across its empty, gaping recesses, not unlike Kubrick’s “The Shining.” Finley also brilliantly utilizes the fore and backgrounds of his shots to smother suspense across the menacing deep space of the mansion, occasionally using it for unexpected comedy as well.
The film does get a little over-stylized at times, particularly in its score. Its intensity feels oddly mismatched, working only maybe half of the time it drums. A few scenes feel extraneous as well, particularly an extended scene of Tim fawning over one of Mark’s luxury cars. Still, Finley’s unique vision is solidly cohesive, and I can’t wait to see more of his work in the future.
“Thoroughbreds” is a provocative but also very enjoyable film featuring grade-A performances and a thoroughly engrossing narrative. Its brilliance lies in its subtlety, allowing an audience to stop and breathe alongside the film’s characters. The pitch-perfect payoff at its close is just icing on the cake; I can’t recommend it enough.
A
Hector Valverde is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. He primarily writes movie reviews. He can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @hpvalverde.
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