Candy (2006)

A poet falls in love with an art student who gravitates to his bohemian lifestyle -- and his love of heroin. Hooked as much on one another as they are on the drug, their relationship alternates between states of oblivion, self-destruction, and despair.

Director:

Neil Armfield

Writers:

Luke Davies (novel), Neil Armfield (screenplay),

Stars:

Abbie Cornish, Heath Ledger, Geoffrey Rush

6 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Abbie Cornish	...	Candy
Heath Ledger	...	Dan
Geoffrey Rush	...	Casper
Tom Budge	...	Schumann
Roberto Meza Mont	...	Jorge
Tony Martin	...	Mr. Wyatt
Noni Hazlehurst	...	Mrs. Wyatt
Holly Austin	...	Sunglasses Shop Assistant
Craig Moraghan	...	Washing Machine Dealer
John Lee	...	Hock Shop Man
Noel Herriman	...	Celebrant
Tim McKenzie	...	Uncle Rod
Tara Morice	...	Aunt Katherine
Maddi Newling	...	Janey
Patricia Lemon	...	Wedding Guest

Storyline

This story is a narration from an Australian man who falls in love with two kinds of Candy: a woman of the same name and heroin. The narrator changes from a smart-aleck to someone trying to find a vein to inject, while Candy changes from an actress, call girl, streetwalker, and then a madwoman. Starting in Sydney, the two eventually end up in Melbourne to go clean, but they fail. This leads them to turn to finding money and heroin, while other posessions and attachments become unimportant.

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Plot Keywords:

heroin | call girl | despair | drugs | art student | 

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Taglines:

Love is a high you can never come down from

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive depiction of drug addiction, disturbing images, language, sexual content and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Dendy Films [au]

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 2006 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Candy - Reise der Engel

Filming Locations:

Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$3,646 (USA) (17 November 2006)

Gross:

$44,720 (USA) (2 February 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Finance, New South Wales Film and Television Office, The, Paradigm Hyde Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min 108 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The man who gives Dan and Candy the milk cartons is Luke Davies, the author of the novel "Candy" the movie is based on.

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Goofs

When the bank teller is counting out the money, the notes aren't in any kind of order. In reality notes would be counted from the highest note down to the lowest.

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Quotes

Dan: When I first met Candy, those were like the days of "juice" when everything was bountiful.

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Connections

References Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)

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Soundtracks

"Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten"
Performed by the Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Directed by Richard Studt
Courtesy of EMI Music Australia, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, British Musicians Union & Universal Edition AG,
Vienna
Composed by Arvo Pärt

User Reviews

Accurate, intimate and very watchable

You could write this off as another story about addiction and the destruction resulting from it, but there's more here. The love story between Ledger and Cornish is a constant throughout, with a great line on how their addiction affects not only their own relationship, but their relationships with others: parents, friends, acquaintances.

Abby Cornish is especially good as the art girl turned junkie prostitute; her fall into addiction and the changes it makes in her life are much more effective than Ledger's portrayal of a junkie in love.

The parents in the movie are excellent, from subtle facial expressions to drag-out fights with their dope fiend daughter. They act much as you would expect parents to act, or at least hope they would act.

The ending dropped the ball a little, but maybe they ran out of budget. In any case, I would watch it again. It's realistic, gritty, romantic and a good case study of how drugs can ruin the most intense love.