Candy
Directed by Neil Armfield.
Starring Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish, Geoffrey Rush, Noni Hazelhurst, Tony Martin.
Based on best-selling novel by Luke Davies.
Dan is every girl’s dream of the perfect boyfriend — except for one thing: he’s a bloody junkie. Even junkies hate the life of a junkie — their touch with the material world is replaced by an expensive, dirty addiction — a theft of dignity and creator of tooth decay. If heroin’s existence has caused you despair or hatred watch out for this film. Candy strengthens where addiction has weakened, shows the humanness in junkies that non-junkies are denied and heals the pain separation causes the heart.
I thoroughly enjoyed Candy — despite hating needles, sleaze, theft, and "junk" — it’s a bit of a treat watching two people (Dan and Candy) totally besotted by being together.
The themes this film mirrors are big, gracefully laying the backdrop for the plot. Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish play Dan and Candy, two lovers who have pulled the plug on society for devotion to heroin addiction and each other. The drugs quickly change their lifestyle and Candy’s parents gradually realise their beautiful daughter is losing the blessed life she was destined for, to heroin. By now, in fact Candy is turning tricks on the street (and in a brothel) to support their addiction. As Candy struggles to cope with her partner’s dependency (on her and heroin) and the decaying horror of ‘junk’ her character bites into bitterness.
This all sounds repulsive, but Candy is nothing like Trainspotting. For a start, the characters are nicer, not nice, exactly. Geoffrey Rush plays the slimey role of Casper, Dan’s fairy god-father. Noni Hazelhurst plays a bitter Mrs Cornish, Tony Martin Mr Cornish, and Heath Ledger the committed, attentive Dan. But Abbie Cornish is beautiful to watch in a demanding, complex role, after whom the entire production is named.
Watch out for this first feature-length cinematic piece from Neil Armfield a highly credited Australian theatre director, (who with the tightness of Kronenberg) flawlessly pulls together Candy. Bound for awards. I happily give 4 stars.
Kathryn Reeves
