I Watch Films: Never Take Candy From A Stranger

Never Take Candy From A Stranger

A family move to a Canadian town, where the daughter is molested by an old man, who has her take off her clothes and dance in return for candy. The man, Clarence Olderberry, founded the logging mill that started the town, and his son Richard runs most of everything there. When they make a complaint, everyone has an opinion (“he didn’t do any harm”; “they do anything for candy”; she should have known better than to go over”; “who are these strangers causing trouble” etc.)

They suggest to Richard Olderberry that Clarence by put in a home or given a male nurse to look after him, which he refuses. Still, they stick to it and get him in court. There however things are stacked against them, a key witness (whose father works in the mill) is withdrawn and the defence lawyer badgers the daughter on the stand. Clarence gets off.

The film then descends into melodrama, a disappointment after the fairly predictable but well-conceived movement through the various elements the film wants to discuss.

Watch This: For a film better than it’s title suggests, as the reason the predator has been able to continue is he is not a stranger but at the heart of the community
Don’t Watch This: For all it’s attempts to show the privilege allowing a predator to flourish, there’s nothing here that a 10 minute child safety film from my childhood didn’t do as well