Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Lily and Amanda, two high school students living in suburban Connecticut, rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of drifting apart. Together, they devise a plan to kill Lily's abusive stepfather by hiring a lowlife drug dealer.
Thoroughbreds is a sleek, darkly comic psychological thriller elevated well above its premise by two powerhouse central performances from Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke, whose contrasting personas create genuine tension. The cinematography is strikingly composed — cold, symmetrical, and suffocating in a way that mirrors the characters' emotional states. Its novelty lies in its bracingly cynical voice and almost theatrical construction, with long, pressure-cooker dialogue scenes that feel singular. The plot is lean and purposeful if somewhat thin, and the ending, while thematically coherent, lands with slightly less impact than the buildup promises. Anton Yelchin's final performance adds a bittersweet weight throughout.