Thoroughbreds had a trailer that was just intriguing enough to grab my interest. What really piqued my interest was seeing Anton Yelchin in the trailer knowing he died in a mishap two years ago. Apparently, this film has been a while in the making. My wife and I decided the film looked good enough to give it a try. It was a slow weekend at the theater, with some really bad films (A Wrinkle In Time) coming out this week. This was a decent alternative.
Lily (Anya Taylor Joy) lives a charmed life. At least on the surface. Her father died a few years ago. Her relationship with her step-father (Paul Sparks) is strained. Her schoolwork is declining. And she has rekindled a friendship with her pathological friend, Amanda (Olivia Cook). The friendship begins as a financial relationship but evolves into something much darker.
Amanda is a pariah. She has a sterile personality. But that isn't really her biggest social problem. The fact that she butchered her horse and photos of it were circulated among the kids in her community seems to be the bigger problem. As Amanda and Lily become friends, they hatch a plan to kill Lily's step-father. They draft Tim (Yelchin), but the plan never materializes. Instead, the story takes a violent course that plays out in a matter-of-fact way that feels inevitable.
Thoroughbreds is an odd story to characterize. It is definitely a character driven film. The pacing felt terribly slow at times, making the ninety-two minute run time feel longer. At the same time, I was a bit captivated with the plot. There weren't really any major plot twists, it was more like watching a trainwreck. In slow motion. But there were redeeming qualities nonetheless. The characters were intricate, the acting superb and the interactions interesting to observe. It wasn't my favorite type of story, but it held my attention.
Yelchin had a small part in this film, but he was solid. I recall having seen Taylor-Joy in some films. I really liked her in The Witch. She was solid in Morgan and Split as well. I have not seen Cooke in any films, but recognize the films she has been in. Limehouse Golem is one that was recommended to me here on Steemit, but I have not yet seen that one. The casting was excellent. It helped further my enjoyment of a film that was otherwise slow.
Thoroughbreds is rated R by the MPAA. The rating is based on violence and death. Most of it is implied. We never see the violence, which I am okay with. The photos circulating of the dismembered horse are seen by a character, but never on screen. We only see the reaction. There is a bloody scene near the end, but the violence happens off screen. Aside from that there are sexual references, drug and alcohol use and thematic material. This one almost might have eked out a PG-13 with a bit less blood. It will bore anyone below thirteen to tears. And many older than thirteen for that matter. This is designed for a certain type of audience, many movie-goers won't appreciate a film with pacing this slow.
I wasn't thrilled by Thoroughbreds. I thought I would like it better. I liked the characters, but the pacing was super slow. The lack of a major plot twist or some other positive trait to influence me leaves me hanging at the low end of the recommended spectrum. I liked the film. I was engaged with the characters. But this film is slow with little reward for sticking it out. A mild recommendation. Wait for it on video. 7/10.
Photos and Trailer property of B Story and Big Indie Pictures.