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:

Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish, Geoffrey Rush

6 wins & 17 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:

sex in a bathroom | prostitute | miniskirt | sex in a car | pantyhose | 

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Taglines:

Candy Is Dandy But Sex Won't Rot Your Teeth.

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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

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 2006 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Candy - Reise der Engel

Filming Locations:

Hillsdale, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,646, 19 November 2006

Gross USA:

$45,128

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,105,096

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Finance, Paradigm Hyde Films, Renaissance Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview, Heath Ledger discussed using his own cigarette addiction as a means to understand heroin addiction for this film.

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Goofs

The trailer for "Candy" has the following caption: "When love breaks all boundries." This is a misspelling of "boundaries."

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Quotes

Dan: [HELL] Everything we ever did we did with the best of intentions, but events tumbled and the years pile up, the world is very bewildering to a junkie... and still you cling to the concept of change.

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Connections

References Sesame Street (1969)

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Soundtracks

Ave Vernum Corpus (KV 618)
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as W.A.Mozart)
Performed by Sydney Philharmonia Choir & Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Stuart Challender
Used by arrangement with ABC Classics

User Reviews

Could have been great, but had some incredible performances

Saw this last night at Greater Union, Tuggerah. There were about 10 of us and only 3 of us loved it..But to put it in perspective, the others were more keen on seeing Click and The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift:-)

I thought it was a good movie, but lacked some character depth in places. Heath Ledger was good, but it was really Abbie Cornish (so exceptional in Somersault as well) and Geoffrey Rush who were outstanding. Abbie Cornish is amazing as Candy, she truly lives and breathes the role, except in the last scene, where I thought her character didn't really match the emotion shown by Heath Ledger's character. That was Heath's finest scene for me, the way he was able to portray so much emotion without saying anything at all.

Tony Martin and Noni Hazelhurst were good in their small time on screen, but again, the relationship breakdown between Candy and her Mum wasn't really explored which didn't really help when she goes off at her Mum and starts screaming at her for ruining her life..

Great direction by Neil Armfield and this was really a movie about Heath and Abbie's characters dependence on drugs and on each other through their ordeal. Some of the things they do to obtain drugs and the money to buy drugs is shocking, but to them just a necessity to obtain ways and means of getting "a fix".

As good as this movie was, if you liked Candy, please take time to see an earlier Australian movie from a few years ago called Head On by Anna Kikkonos (I think that's her name). It stars Alex Dimitraides and is a much better exploration of the drug scene.

Overall, Candy is a worthy addition to the local Australian cinema and I'm glad I was able to enjoy this movie. Definitely worth a look for the performances by Abbie Cornish, Geoffrey Rush and Heath Ledger