Plush fails to rock

CATHERINE Hardwicke has spent much of her career mining the subject of teen angst - in particular the trials and tribulations of adolescent females - with some success, so it's perhaps appropriate that her attention now shifts to include members of a slightly older demographic.

Unfortunately, her latest movie Plush - a psychological thriller about a young rocker in the LA music scene whose rise to stardom is derailed by the sudden death of a band member - is a wildly uneven and ultimately disappointing work that belies the director's solid credentials.

Hardwicke worked with a succession of young actresses and enjoyed both critical (Thirteen, 2003) and commercial (Twilight, 2008) success while riding the crest of a wave, but her more recent work (Red Riding Hood, 2011) has been somewhat underwhelming. Plush is an attempt to rediscover her edgy indie roots, but it falls well short of the mark.