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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

You don't have to die to go to hell

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

---

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 [Japan]

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.

---

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.

---

Quotes

Lola: You've got 10 seconds to go or Daddy's gonna nail it to the chair.

---

Connections

Featured in Welshy Reviews: Granny (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"Agile, Mobile And Hostile"
Performed by Andre Williams

User Reviews

Turn around, bright eyes

from the first scene The Loved Ones is able to achieve what bigger budgeted films cannot - clearly defined and appealing characters that you want to see more of.

the film splits 3 ways - the very serious family drama of the widow and tortured girlfriend - the comic/horror torture porn - and the comic high school formal/prom date. Sean Byrne shows off that he can do it all and succeeds hopping between these styles

the horror thread of this film is what it will marketed on. there is blood, LOTS OF BLOOD but very little gore. disappointingly, much of the violence takes place out of shot or has been cut. it is the weakest part of the film due to some over-acting by Princess whenever she goes 'crazy'. still, it's horrific and compensates by being damn funny

so, SCREW IT! this film is fun to watch!

excellent performances, good soundtrack and smooth production. i saw it at the Sydney Film Festival last night and i was very impressed. my apologies to Jessica McNamee. during a Q&A i referred to her as "thingy who played the goth chick'". she is awesome! her work with Richard Wilson is freakin' brilliant. the disastrous prom date, though loosely connected to the rest of the film, is my favourite part of it

not knowing where this film is going to lead you is half the fun. low-budget non-US films try harder and take risks. The Loved Ones does it all. Perfect date movie. See it!