Comedy,Drama
United States of America
Pretty Persuasion is a 2005 American satirical comedy-drama film directed by Marcos Siega and written by Skander Halim. The film stars Evan Rachel Wood as Kimberly Joyce, a manipulative and sociopathic high school student who accuses her drama teacher, Percy Anderson (Ron Livingston), of sexual harassment.
Kimberly is an intelligent and ambitious 15-year-old who attends an elite private high school in Beverly Hills, California. She becomes obsessed with the idea of becoming famous, and decides that accusing her drama teacher of sexual harassment will be her ticket to stardom.
Kimberly enlists the help of two of her friends, the wealthy and sexually adventurous Brittany (Elisabeth Harnois) and the overweight and nerdy Randa (Adi Schnall), in her plan to ruin Mr. Anderson's life. They record conversations with him and twist his words to make it seem like he is sexually harassing them.
As the accusations gain traction, the media becomes involved and the school becomes embroiled in a scandal. Mr. Anderson's life is turned upside down as he is suspended from his job, shunned by his colleagues, and hounded by the media. Kimberly revels in the attention and manipulates her friends to create even more chaos.
However, as the web of deceit grows, the truth about Kimberly's actions and motives begin to unravel. It is eventually revealed that Kimberly has a troubled home life and is essentially a victim herself.
The film received mixed reviews but was praised for its dark humor and incisive commentary on issues of sexuality, power, and manipulation. Evan Rachel Wood's performance as the calculating and unapologetically manipulative Kimberly was particularly acclaimed.
