Hick (2011)

Directed by: Derick Martini

In Nowhere, Nebraska, thirteen year-old Luli (Chloe Moretz) lives with her dead-beat parents, whose life together has degenerated into a war of attrition punctuated by alcohol-fuelled fights and extra-marital engagements.  When both mom and dad head out for an indeterminate period, sassy Luli decides it’s time to do the same.  So, armed with just her sketch book, a bag and a .45 (a birthday present from an uncle) she hits the road, with Las Vegas in mind.

Banish any thoughts that the perky kid you meet in the opening scenes has a fulfilling road trip that introduces her to a bunch of warm-hearted people who’ll help her to grow up.  A few days, one actual rape, one attempted rape, a serious assault, a robbery and two murders later, she’s heading for Los Angeles.  (To prevent this becoming a total spoiler-fest, I won’t identify the victims and perpetrators.)

In between, she keeps meeting the same people, who somehow all know each other – and yet she seems to travel long distances between encounters.  This version of the west is populated with very few people, and none of them is very nice.  That would be ok if Luli was more like her character in the book but here, I’m afraid, Chloe Moretz’s kooky cute performance is just wrong.  So are her reactions to horrible events, though that is as much a problem of script and direction in this very uneven, genre-confused movie.  Subverting our expectations is one thing, but wild swings of tone do not make for coherent story-telling.