Trickbaby (Freeway II)

Matthew Bright's unique retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Hansel and Gretel is a twisted, violent, shocking and entertaining film which takes the 'road movie' concept and injects it with class-A hallucinogenics. The result is a lurid nightmare tale of prostitutes, serial killers, cannibalism and paedophilia.

Natasha Lyonne shows she is capable of far more than just teen comedies by starring as White Girl, a bulimic teenager who poses as a whore in order to savagely attack and rob her 'tricks'. Sent to prison for 25 years, she befriends Cyclona (María Celedonio), a psychologically fragile murderous chronic-masturbator(!) and together they escape and head for Tijuana, Mexico, where Cyclona hopes they can find sanctuary with her childhood protector, Sister Gomez (Vincent Gallo).

This freakish fairy tale is certainly not for mainstream audiences, but those who dig more unusual fare should certainly get a kick from the non-stop weirdness on display. With Bright's array of 'colourful' characters and a story that unfolds in an unpredictable fashion, the film certainly never bores.

Much fun can be had spotting the parallels between this film and its source material, Hansel and Gretel. The film uses the theme of food prevalent in the Grimm's classic story, and features an interesting take on the 'trail of breadcrumbs' and a really nasty 'witch'.

A heady concoction of exploitation, art-house, action and horror, Confessions of a Trickbaby is recommended to fans of cinema's wild side, and particularly to those who enjoyed Natural Born Killers, with which it shares a similar vibe.