The Loved Ones (2009)

When Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.

Director:

Sean Byrne

Writer:

Sean Byrne

Stars:

Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy, Victoria Thaine

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Xavier Samuel	...	Brent
Robin McLeavy	...	Lola 'Princess'
Victoria Thaine	...	Holly
Jessica McNamee	...	Mia
Richard Wilson	...	Jamie
John Brumpton	...	Daddy
Andrew S. Gilbert	...	Paul
Suzi Dougherty	...	Carla
Victoria Eagger	...	Judith
Anne Scott-Pendlebury	...	Bright Eyes
Fred Whitlock	...	Dan
Leo Taylor	...	Teacher
Brandon Burns	...	Takeaway Shop Attendant
Stephen Walden	...	Timmy Valentine
Igor Savin	...	Rhys Agnew

Storyline

In order to avoid a ghostly figure in the road, high school senior Brent Mitchell wraps his car around a tree, killing his father. Constantly confronted by his mother's emotional collapse after the accident, Brent escapes into a marijuana fueled world of loud metal music to block the pain and guilt. Dejected and out of sorts, he has a shot at happiness with his girlfriend Holly, a grounded, caring girl with drop dead good looks, a dream date for the high school prom. But his plans are thwarted by a disturbing series of events that take place under a mirrored disco ball, involving pink satin, glitter, syringes, nails, power drills and a secret admirer. Brent has become the prom king at a macabre, sadistic event where he is the entertainment.

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Plot Keywords:

prom | high school | killing | escape | high school prom | 

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Taglines:

Prom night can be torture

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence and torture, sexuality, some language, teen drug and alcohol use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [jp]

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 2010 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Agapimenos

Filming Locations:

Hobsons Bay, Victoria, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Australia, Omnilab Media, Ambience Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Under the instructions of director Sean Byrne, Robin McLeavy prepared for the role of Lola by researching the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, as well as watching Misery, Natural Born Killers and the works of Quentin Tarantino.

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Goofs

In the scene where Mia and Jamie are in the car at the school dance and they are smoking pot, the cigarette in Mia's hand changes positions along with her hand in between shots.

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Quotes

Eric: The trick is not to go too far. Just enough to break through the skull.

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Connections

Featured in Welshy Reviews: The Loved Ones (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Not Pretty Enough"
Performed by Kasey Chambers
Written by Kasey Chambers

User Reviews

'The Loved Ones' is ultimately an exercise in frustration and indignation.

'The Loved Ones' is a well-made film, but it's also hollow and nasty. It takes a developed, sympathetic character and subjects him to an array of torture and humiliation at the hands of Lola and 'Daddy', a vile father/daughter serial killing partnership.

The film drew significant parallels with 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', a film I like. The difference between the two is that 'The Loved Ones' is far crueler; the protracted scenes of humiliation and violence left me utterly indignant. 'Chainsaw Massacre' is also an iconic, genre defining piece of work; this film is merely one of its many imitators.

Tough films such as the fellow Australian horror 'Wolf Creek' serve as an endurance test; they're full of tension, suspense and eventually unflinching brutality. They're straightforward and not particularly good, but they do have a purpose, albeit a doubtful one. 'The Loved Ones' however is just overbearingly frustrating; how can anyone derive anything but negative emotion out of watching an innocent character being tied to a chair and tortured?

As I watched their exploits, I realised that Lola and 'Daddy' were such reprehensible characters that no come-uppance would be satisfying enough, my growing bloodlust would have only been satiated if I'd been able to jump into the frame and exact hyper-violent justice myself.

The effect the film had on me is clearly testament to the power of it. There's no doubt that it's taut, well made and well-acted, however 'The Loved Ones' is ultimately an exercise in frustration and indignation.

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