Some people just can't take rejection. Brent (Xavier Samuel) learns this the hard way when he turns down Lola Stone's (Robin McLeavy) request to accompany her to the school dance. The fact that he has a girlfriend matters little to Lola, who ultimately gets her date with Brent whether he likes or not. In the vein of Hard Candy (David Slade, 2005) and Audition (Takashi Miike, 1999), Loved Ones examines the gender power shifts involved when a woman/girl is in control of a man/boy. However, unlike the other mentioned titles, the male victim in Loved Ones isn't presented in a way that makes us feel he deserves it, which in turn removes any sympathy we could have possibly felt for the sadistic female perpetrator. While the film somehow attempts to explain Lola's behavior as a consequence of the pressures imposed by our increasingly media-centered society on today's youth, the idea is too-quickly passed over and weakly presented in the first place. Which leaves us with just a crazy, psychotic teenage serial kidnapper/murderer who can't take no for an answer. Far from being detrimental to the picture's enjoyment, the lack of conclusive explanation for Lola's erratic behavior makes the film that more enjoyable as it increases the viewer's discomfort and intensifies our reaction to the sadism portrayed on screen. It also accentuates our satisfaction when Brent finally fights back.
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