Synopsis

Candy, a beautiful young painter, is in the first throes of love with Dan, a sometime-poet. Their love intoxicates, like Paradise, like Eden: they care only for its increase, for the abandonment to pleasure. In heroin they find the limitlessness they are seeking. Their future together is invincible and Candy believes they will be together forever. As their heroin habit gets the better of them and their money dwindles, the dark side of addition changes everything. When the local Pawn Broker refuses to exchange their goods for cash she is forced to prostitute herself for fifty dollars. It soon becomes a way of life for her. Until Candy discovers that she's pregnant. Her father is elated, her mother is desperately concerned. Candy decides it's time to kick the habit. To go cold turkey.

What The Critics Say

"Candy and Dan live in their own world, a kaleidoscope of intensity. Life comprises drugs and sex. Love, it seems isn't enough, are they are swept up into the whirlwind of addiction. Watching Neil Armfield's beautifully directed film Candy is a little like looking through a window and watching pain. It's a performance driven film and Ledger and Abbie Cornish as Candy bury themselves in their characters." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE "This is a tough film to watch but well worth the emotional investment. Candy is certainly not a light feel-good movie. Go to it expecting to be challenged and you'll enjoy it for what it is - a very good Australian drama." Virginia Jones ABC CANBERRA "Whether we want to admit it or not, addiction - and the heroin epidemic - is still very prevalent in our culture. Candy should affect us all. In the way "Little Fish" was embraced by mainstream Australian audiences last year, Candy too will hopefully strike a similar chord." TRIPLE J MOVIES "Somehow they manage to reveal the poetry of a life so profane with its horrible realism - the truth and the consequences. And Heath Ledger gives a performance of which he can be very proud, as should Davies and Armfield be of their adaptation." 4 STARS." Megan Spencer SBS THE MOVIE SHOW

"Heroin addiction is not pretty, it's not poetic and the characters (thank the lord) are not romanticised as some sort of bohemian artisans defying society." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE "Not long after seeing this film, I passed a young girl in the Valley clearly “pinned” on heroin, yet her fresh face carried none of the ravages of full-blown addiction. Not yet anyway. She reminded me of Candy. I hope she, and others like her, see this film." Shane Brady BRISBANENEWS REVIEWS "Cornish is utterly magnetic. A performance of incredible depth and intensity." Ghita Loebstein THE BIG ISSUE "The performances are searing, the script poetic, and the direction carefully judged. The film pounds out its own raw and compelling vision." Michael Adams EMPIRE AUSTRALIA "Candy confirms Cornish's reputation as an actor to watch. And Ledger's decision to follow Brokeback Mountain with a contemporary urban character will not do him any harm." Vicky Roach DAILY TELEGRAPH "Ledger is rivetting. He’s topped his performance in Brokeback Mountain with an even better one in the new Australian movie Candy" Mark Naglazas THE WEST AUSTRALIAN

The Inside Story heroin n. addictive analgesic drug derived from morphine, often used as a narcotic. addict n. person addicted, esp. to a drug. entertaining adj. amusing, diverting. Three words hardly ever used in the same sentence especially when it comes to film. For the majority of people there is nothing amusing about drug addiction. Mention the word 'drug' and you get a mixed response ranging from indifference, intolerance, anger, sympathy and disgust. Over the past decade or so drug taking has been reclassified as a recreational passtime. The plight of herion addiction has faded in the face of an onslaught of new designer drugs that many young people find trendy. Today there is a concern within the Medical fraternity regarding the use of hydroponics in the production of cannabis and the alarming rise in the number of users suffering the effects of schizophrenia due to the increased strength of the substance. Which ever way you look at it, whether it be tobacco, alcohol, caffiene, marijuana, heroin or painkillers, it's a tragedy for the whole community. As a parent I can imagine nothing worse than to discover your flesh and blood has a drug problem. One thing I couldn't imagine is the pain parents, relatives and friends go through when that addiction leads to death through overdose or suicide. If there's one thing I found particularly likeable about "CandY" is that there's no glorification of drug taking in the film. Neil Armfield and Luke Davies film "Candy" portrays drug taking and the effects of addiction in a harsh light and that's why audiences will find themselves unsympathetic towards its main characters. For once we have an Australian film that dares to pull the plug on the ugly side of substance abuse. Another aspect I personally applaud is that a parents perspective features strongly in the film. "It was Neil’s idea to amplify the roles of Candy’s parents and the problems they were faced with," says producer Margaret Fink. "I applauded this decision: it’s a heartbreaking situation to have a child who is addicted to heroin." "Candy" is the screen adaptation of the Australian novel "Candy" by Luke Davies. Fink, who is credited with establishing the international careers of Judy Davis and Sam Neill after she cast them in "My Brilliant Career" [ the winner of six AFI and two BAFTA Awards], said she "came across it not long after it was first published in 1997." Fink recalls "When I read it I recognised a film writer and knew I wanted to work with Luke." It seems Fink has a good eye when it comes to spotting writers with talent prefering it seems to work with novels rather than screenplays. "Novels are easier to read than screenplays," she says. "And the thing with a known work is that you can refer back to it if you get in a fix, rather than floundering around." "Candy" never flounders when it comes to the heart of its story. Fink's fellow producer [and founder of 'Ocean Pictures'] Emile Sherman who has worked on the acclaimed films "Rabbit Proof Fence" and "The Oyster Farmer" says, "You are taken along with Dan and Candy on a pretty gruelling ride and your eyes are kept wide open to the repercussions of heroin addiction. We don’t shy away from that, but nor have we sought to glorify any aspect of drug taking." Acclaimed stage and film director Neil Armfield became involved in the project as both Director and Co-writer after Fink approached him with a proposition and gave him a copy of "Candy", "to introduce him to Luke’s talent", she says. Of his book Luke Davies says, "The novel is a typical first novel: thinly veiled autobiography. Autobiographical in the sense that I was involved, that I lived in that world for a time rather than that the lead character is me." Writing the screenplay would be a long process involving juggling many other commitments. Davies and Armfield started out in 1999 and didn't finish their collaboration until 2005. "The particular nature of our collaboration is that Luke is very detail-minded and quite obsessive, and I’m detail-minded but lazy," Armfield revealed. "Luke would obsess and keep the written record of everything we did. We would bounce lines and ideas around. Occasionally I might act something out, improvising the dialogue and Luke would write it down." And the end result of working together? "It was quite a joyful process, and out of it, we became friends." Now all they needed was the cast. Before getting to the stars Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish, let me reveal a little story about Neil Armfield and the Oscar winning actor Geoffrey Rush who plays the junkie professor and deviant mentor figure of Casper. They go way back. Over a quarter of a century to 1980. In a voice-over in the film, Ledger's character Dan notes, "Casper and I go way back." Armfield says, "Geoffrey and I go way back too. We started working together in the theatre in 1980 and he’s been my most regular collaborator ever since. I’d always wanted to work with Geoffrey in a film. Casper was a character Luke and I dragged out of the book and recreated with Geoffrey’s voice in mind." Isn't that so wickedly delicious? And on Rush's contribution to the film? "He brought to the character such a sense of tragic depth and sadness, while retaining the feeling that he’s still just this little boy who wants to be bad, use drugs, play with the kids; a sense of mischief." And what of the strong performances by Tony Martin and Noni Hazlehurst as Mr and Mrs Wyatt? "I think in Tony Martin and Noni Hazlehurst’s performances you get a strong sense of their love but as it is formed and distorted by their own middle class aspirations," Armfield notes, adding "their sense of what is right or appropriate, and their difficulties in communicating." For all the strength in the support cast, Armfield says that the turning point for "Candy" was definately when Ledger and Cornish came together for the screen test. "I realised that there was a very precise working energy between them," he said, "and a chemistry. It was fantastic." And they are both absolutely fantastic throughout the film. Aren't they? "Abbie and Heath knew that as a lead in a film you have to take responsibility for your own centre, and they both did that quite magnificently." Wonderful words of praise for Heath Ledger in particular. You see Armfield didn't envisage Ledger as right for the part when Luke Davies put his name forward. "I thought we needed someone grubbier or edgier for Dan," Armfield recalls. So what changed his mind? "It was Heath’s revelatory performance - dark, culpable, vulnerable - in Monster’s Ball." It would be amiss of me not to lay great kudos at the feet of young actress Abbie Cornish. She is sensational and I for one hope that she picks her roles carefully, because she has, given good management a long 'international' career ahead of her. In many ways I see her as another Naomi Watts. Abbie's extremely talented, carries herself well, is very expressive and knows how to deliver her lines with just the right amount of emotion. Thank goodness someone more in the know agrees with me. "When I saw "Somersault" I realised that Abbie is a carrier for emotional intelligence, that she has a depth of soul that the camera almost caresses. Her onscreen power is amazing," says Armfield. What They Had To Say! "Candy is a story about how humans act when they are pushed to the extremes – both of addiction and love." Emile Sherman.
"... it will also speak to anyone who has been in the kind of complex moral predicaments at the heart of the story. Because of this, I believe the film is an important one for human enlightenment." Margaret Fink.
"Luke and I have attempted to get under the social skin of what addiction is. At the heart of the film is the suggestion that junkies are you and me. Dan and Candy, who have a great gift for life, are attempting what all of us do - to make the wonderful things in life stay alive and to banish the dull bits. Neil Armfield.
"It seems to me that Neil has made this very sad, very tight film, an absolute diamond of a film; everything stripped back to the central core - which is, at heart, a love story." Luke Davies.
"Heroin ends up binding the two of them together, and destroying them as a couple. They go to hell and back." Heath Ledger.
"Neil once described Candy to me as being fire and air. It made sense to me, provided me with ideas and imagery from which the character grew." Abbie Cornish.
"I think Casper loves the youth and the vibrancy of these two sweet and beautiful human beings. I think he’s also rather saddened by the fact that he can see, being a junkie himself, that they are on a poignant and rather inevitable collision course." Geoffrey Rush.
"I have never had a substance addiction but I am fascinated by the energy that burns from people that are. I was also interested in the silence that surrounds addiction – which is such a taboo in our society." Neil Armfield.
"I first worked with Neil over a decade ago and have since worked with him on a number of theatre projects including the adaptation of "Cloudstreet". .... we have always aimed for a simple and spare clarity, a world that never declares itself but sits quietly in the background. Candy is made with this spirit." Robert Cousins.
The Verdict "A far better film to watch than "Little Fish", "Candy" pulls no punches, offers little hope and certainly demonizes addiction to drugs. 2004 AFI Best Actress Award Winner Abbie Cornish is superb in the title role of Candy. Heath Ledger's co-starring role as Dan is one which will further enhance his reputation. While the major focus is on the lead characters, there are some praiseworthy performance from the supporting cast. Two Time LOGIE Award winner Noni Hazlehurst is once again cast as the mother of a drug trouble daughter. She portrays the angst and sorrow of a suffering mother with total conviction. Tony Martin is solid in the role of Candy's father and Geoffrey Rush, well he's delightful to watch at anytime. Another excellent Australian production that is really worth having a look at. 4 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "CANDY" stars .......
1999 AFI Young Actors Award and 2004 AFI Award winner Abbie Cornish ["One Perfect Day", "The Monkey's Mask", "Somersault" and "A Good Year"]; Heath Ledger ["Two Hands", "Monsters Ball", "The Brothers Grimm" and "Brokeback Mountain"]; Tom Budge ["Australian Rules", "The Honourable Wally Norman", "The Proposition" and "Kokoda"]; AFI Award winner Tony Martin ["The Interview"]; FOUR time AFI Award winner Noni Hazlehurst A.M. ["Monkey Grip", "Waiting" and "Little Fish"]; Noel Herriman ["Stud","The House of Names" and "Jackpot"]; Damon Herriman ["The Big Steal", "Praise", "Ned" and "House Of Wax"] and Academy Award & BAFTA Award winner Geoffrey Rush ["Shine", "Quills", "The Life & Death Of Peter Sellers" and ""] as Casper.
"CANDY" was .......
directed by Neil Armfield ["Twelfth Night" and "The Castanet Club"]; screenplay by Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award winner Neil Armfield ["Twelfth Night" and "Candy"] and Luke Davies ["Isabelle the Navigator" and "Candy"]; production design by Robert Cousins ["Waiting for Godot" and "Twelfth Night"]; director of photography Garry Phillips ["The Monkey's Mask" and "Gettin’ Square"]; original music composed by 2003 Leo Award Winner Paul Charlier ["Suddenly Last Summer" and "The Judas Kiss"] edited by Dany Cooper ASE ["Ladies Please!", "The Well", "In Too Deep" and "The Monkey's Mask"] and costume design by Jodie Fried ["Little Fish" and "The Caterpillar Wish"]. Run Time 108 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2006 - Dendy Films - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2006 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved