Candy (2006)

For the last few decades the news has been filled with the war on drugs. These innocuous looking substances, pills, powders and leaves, have ruined more lives than most full scale wars that employ bombs and bullets. Drugs have also driven the plot lines of many movies. The supply side is often the focus of action flicks while the demand side of the equation makes for intense drama. The latest film by writer-director Neil Armfield, Candy, takes a look at how drugs completely take over every aspect of their lives. This is a difficult genre to make a mark in following such ground breaking films as ‘The Panic in Needle Park’ and ‘Requiem for a Dream’. This topic is never pleasant; it is often difficult to watch. ‘Candy’ humanizes the plethora of statistics we are constantly bombarded by on every news station available. This is a story of two young people who should be at the most exciting part of their lives, all their potential ahead of them. Instead, their entire universe collapses into a tiny bag containing quantity of white powder. As films in this genre go ‘Candy’ is one of the better ones out there.

The film is divided into three distinct sections that follow the downward spiral of two young people. In ‘Heaven’ we get to witness the initial stages of drug experimentation. Dan (Heath Ledger) is trying to make a go out of being a poet. While this is a noble profession it is not exactly what any parent has in mind for their children since few can make an actual living out of it. Still, for the idealistic youth it is a worthy endeavor. He has a relationship with the beautiful Candy (Abbie Cornish) an aspiring painter. Dan and Candy share a love for art and soon expand that to a love for each other. At this point drugs are just an experiment. The couple sees them as something that enhances sex and their art. Candy is at the point of sniffing heroine but Dan is at the more serious level of intravenous use. Candy’s parents, father Jim Wyatt (Tony Martin) and mother Elaine (Noni Hazlehurst) are far from pleased by their daughter’s choices in life. They blame Dan for Candy’s growing use of drugs not really willing to realize that Candy has to carry some of the responsibility. In the second section of the film, ‘Earth’ drugs begin to be the sole focus of the young couple. Candy escalates her preferred method of ingesting he drug and now shoots up along side Dan. Since art is not a big money maker they have to resort to increasingly desperate means to obtain their drugs. At first they sell a washing machine then move on to Candy selling a family heirloom ring from her Grandmother. Finally the only thing Candy has to barter for money is her body. In one scene Candy looks at her reflection in the mirror seeing the affects of the growing drug use. Her body is wasted away, her hair stringy and dirty. The couple does have an enabler in the guise of gay chemistry professor Casper (Geoffrey Rush). He can usually be counted on for some money or a quantity of drugs. Dan tries to prostitute himself by admits that he is no good at ‘that gay stuff’. By the time the last act, ‘Hell’ comes around the couple are almost unrecognizable from the nice looking pair at the start of the film. When they discover that Candy is pregnant they try to kick their habit but the siren call of heroine is just too strong.

The film has a strong narrative thanks to a well constructed script by Neil Armfield based on the novel by Luke Davies. Armfield manages to retain the humanity of the protagonists without sacrificing the ultimate message. Sure the message is drugs are bad but this film portrays the loss of self that drug abuse eventually brings on. As a director Armfield does well. Much of his experience is in Australian theater and that translated here to a more intimate feel to the film. The transitions between segments are a bit jagged. There is no real flow from one act to another but a sharp demarcation between sections of the film. This may relate to staging a play where one act may be distinct from the previous one. The film is done more tastefully than many in this genre. The audience is not inflicted with the degradation that Candy endures while turning tricks. Her prostitution is not explicated shown; only the effects are evident to the audience. At one point she comments about her first ‘customer’ a pawn shop owner who smelt really bad. At its core this is a love story. Actually two love stories. One is between Dan and Candy while the other is concerned with how their love affair with heroine turns to complete obsession. With drugs like heroine there appears to be a ritual in the preparation. This adds to the compulsion and makes the task of quitting even more difficult. The film shows this as the couple prepares their much needed fix. They have the look on their face of dread mixed with anticipation. While never glorifying drug abuse the film does manage to show how easily causal use can turn into a nightmare. Within each segment the pacing is well done. There is an internal consistency in each segment that helps to carry the film.

The cast here is incredibly talented. Abbie Cornish is an up coming young actress who has been taking on extremely difficult roles and manages to ace them all. The audience can not help but to sympathize for this beautiful young woman as she descends physically and emotionally into horror. Cornish uses body language to convey the alterations in her life; in each progressive scene she is a little dirtier, a little less human. When she overdoses in a bathtub the audience knows she brought this on herself but still we pull for her to recover. Heath Ledger is also one of the fresh faces in film today. Here he shows that he is more than a handsome actor, he can really ply his craft. He taps into an emotional depth that is a wonder to watch. Ledger can make a somewhat guilty character into one the audience becomes invested in. he does carry much of the blame for what is life and Candy’s has become but we still can see him as a sort of victim. Drugs are the real villain here and while not innocent Dan and Candy are trapped. As usual Geoffrey Rush turns in a stellar performance. He is able to provide both some comic moments as well as part of the tragedy shown in the third act.

The Think Film Company brings this movie to DVD with the standard of excellent that rivals much larger distributors. The anamorphic 1.85:1 video is brilliant. The color palette reflects and reinforces the emotional state of the characters. The contrast is completely without flaw. The Dolby 5.1 audio is full-bodied with excellent separation between channels. The disc comes with several interesting extras. The commentary track by Armfield is better than most. He goes into the process of bringing a difficult story to the screen. The cast interviews provide some insight to how the actors approached their roles. There are also the usual deleted scenes to round things off. While not perfect the film is well worth it. It is at times difficult to watch because of the story line but is well crafted and should have a place in your collection.

Posted 02/21/07