Connect with us
A blunt, bracing effort from first-timer Cory Finley.

Film

‘Thoroughbreds’ Races Along With Stellar Cast

A blunt, bracing effort from first-timer Cory Finley.

Early on in Cory Finley’s dark comedic thriller Thoroughbreds, upper-class teens Amanda (Olivia Cooke) and Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy) sit curled up on the couch, watching a classic film on TV. “That’s the worst crying I’ve ever seen,” Amanda says flatly, as a black-and-white blonde dabs a handkerchief at her eyes. Lily disagrees, and to demonstrate “the technique,” Amanda lets her breath become shallow and allows tears to stream down her cheeks. When Lily insists on being shown how to do the same, Amanda instructs her to force her body into distress. “It’s like you’re choking yourself,” she says effortlessly, as if there’s nothing to it.

A tightly edited and bracing film, Thoroughbreds itself often feels effortless. The story centers on the relationship of two estranged teenagers who grow close once more as they begin to speak honestly about identity, morality, and death. Their rekindled friendship is abruptly threatened when Amanda offhandedly mentions killing Lily’s stepfather, but the offer needles its way into Lily’s brain to the point of obsession, and they soon gravitate towards each other yet again.

Cooke (Bates Motel) has the unenviable task of portraying a self-proclaimed sociopath, and while her dialogue is completely devoid of feeling or intonation, her performance remains mesmerizing. On a sunny afternoon, Amanda details the lengthy murder of her prize-winning horse, Honeymooner, as Lily hides her reaction behind pricey sunglasses. Amanda picks up giant stone chess pieces and drags them across a marble board, nonchalantly playing a game against herself as she describes drugging, paralyzing, and slitting her horse’s neck. Her voice is lifeless, and her expression reads as disinterested at best, but her monologue is hypnotic nonetheless.

With Cooke as a lymphatic foil, Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Split) plays opposite her with an impressive range. At first, Lily is bewildered by the upsetting things her old friend spouts, but she quickly drops the perky act of perfection that was groomed into her by her parents. Relieved to talk bluntly to Amanda — and have a pithy response handed immediately back — Lily continues to shed her glossy exterior and tap into a well of grief and anger that began with her father’s death, and reignited when her mother remarried a douchebag named Mark (portrayed with cutting animosity by Paul Sparks). The result sees her backpedal so far from her former self that she not only mirrors Amanda, but could take that young woman’s place as the reigning sociopath of suburban Connecticut.

Unfortunately, one element that feels lacking is the limited inclusion of Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Odd Thomas, Like Crazy) in his last released performance following his sudden death in July 2016. Portraying a drug dealing low-life named Tim, Yelchin is in top form, and manages to produce a complex mixture of disgust, alarm, and sympathy in the fifteen or so minutes of screen time he shares with the female leads. While Thoroughbreds is not an outright comedy, the scenes featuring Taylor-Joy, Cooke, and Yelchin lead to the most laughs, and shine with chemistry. Sadly, his death bears an unavoidable weight on this film, one can’t help but wish he had been utilized more. 

One of the more notable aspects of Thoroughbreds is its exceptional sound mixing and design. The film is hurried along by a compelling score from composer Erik Friedlander, who combines cello, piano, and percussion to unsettling ends. Jarring tones lurking underneath shots of luxury and beauty keep the viewer on edge throughout the entirety. It’s a score more at home in a Victorian horror film, but nevertheless manages to match Thoroughbreds’ more sinister undertones to a thrilling degree.

The soundtrack weaves in and out in brief snippets throughout the film, relying on anachronistic humor as discussion of murder fades into the gleeful tones of King Harvest’s “Dancing in the Moonlight,” and swerving into heart-pounding paranoia as Lily wanders on the edges of a party to A Tribe Called Red’s throaty, feverish “Sila.” Even simple sound effects produce a measure of anxiety, like the nauseating thrum of Mark’s indoor rowing machine cranking away above Lily’s head.

Interestingly, Thoroughbreds was originally conceived as a stage play, and it often reads that way with its sparse list of settings, sharp dialogue, and small, dynamic cast. The knowledge that this could have easily been performed on stage speaks not only to Finley’s strength as a writer, but also the visual skills he’s still refining as a director. Nonetheless, it is incredibly impressive as a first effort, and remarkable projects no doubt await Finley, Cooke, and Taylor-Joy in the future.

Written By

Some people take my heart, others take my shoes, and some take me home. I write, I blog, I podcast, I edit, and I design websites. Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Goomba Stomp and Tilt Magazine. Host of the Sordid Cinema Podcast and NXpress Nintendo Podcast. Former Editor-In-Chief of Sound On Sight, and host of several podcasts including the Game of Thrones and Walking Dead podcasts, as well as Sound On Sight. There is nothing I like more than basketball, travelling, and animals. You can find me online writing about anime, TV, movies, games and so much more.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook

Trending

2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: Clarke and Kubrick’s Odyssey of Discovery

Culture

Deep Impact was a serious look at the end of the world Deep Impact was a serious look at the end of the world

25 Years Later: Deep Impact was a Serious Look at the End of the World 

Film

The Best Movies of 1973 The Best Movies of 1973

The Golden Year of Movies: 1973

Culture

The Zone of Interest The Zone of Interest

Cannes 2023: Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest is a Manicured Vision of Hell

Culture

Jeanne Du Barry review Jeanne Du Barry review

Cannes 2023: Maïwenn’s Great Hair Goes to Great Lengths in Jeanne Du Barry

Culture

Black Flies Gripping Black Flies Gripping

Cannes 2023: Black Flies— Gripping Descent into the Underbelly of New York’s Urban Misery 

Culture

Asteroid City: A Gimmicky Vanity Project Asteroid City: A Gimmicky Vanity Project

Cannes 2023: Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City is a Gimmicky Vanity Project

Culture

La Passion de Dodin Bouffant: La Passion de Dodin Bouffant:

La Passion de Dodin Bouffant: Surfeit Cooking Drama Most Inane Film at Cannes

Culture

BlackBerry movie review BlackBerry movie review

BlackBerry Is a Wonderfully Canadian Account of a Dying Tech Dream

Film

Four Daughters Four Daughters

Cannes 2023: Four Daughters: A Family’s Journey From Goth to Niqab

Culture

Godzilla 1998 Godzilla 1998

Godzilla at 25: When Hollywood Made a Manhattan Monster Movie, with Disastrous Results

Film

10 Best SummerSlam Matches 10 Best SummerSlam Matches

10 Best SummerSlam Matches

Culture

The Mother Jennifer Lopez and Lucy Paez The Mother Jennifer Lopez and Lucy Paez

Jennifer Lopez’s The Mother is Eerily Similar to Enough, But That’s Not a Bad Thing

Film

Discovery channel Discovery channel

The Head-Scratching Moves Discovery Has Been Making

Culture

Sean Connery Sean Connery

60 Years Later, Dr. No Remains the Paragon of Bond

Film

The Matrix Reloaded The Matrix Reloaded

20 Years Later: The Matrix Reloaded was Underwhelming, but Still Underrated

Film

Connect