thelmascooter writes:

It’s not often one comes across such a well-made film. Candy is a challenging but totally satisfying experience of love and chemistry. From the opening images and soundtrack lyrics from Tim Buckley’s Song to the Siren: “Should I lie with death my bride? Hear me sing, ’swim to me, swim to me, let me enfold you: Here I am, here I am, waiting to hold you’”, we come to appreciate the purity, power and at times, playfulness of the chemistry between the lead couple, Candy (Abbie Cornish) and Dan (Heath Ledger).

Indeed, chemistry and love are central to this story. These two beautifully charismatic people develop a drug habit with all the usual trappings and traps, but it isn’t glamorised or overstated. Their closest connection and friend, Casper (Geoffrey Rush) is an expert in molecular manipulation, and has a magical presence of his own, drawing us into his warmth. This classy cast present almost flawless portrayals of grounded Australian mannerisms, maintaining consistent credibility throughout.

Romantic, sexual love, the love and trust of old friends and parental love are all key to Candy but this is not a work of sentimentalism, overbearing drama or blame. Candy's parents, the Wyatts (Tony Martin and Noni Hazlehurst) watch as their daughter is pulled deeper and deeper into one hopeless situation after another by her addiction and Dan, situations that most non-users will find very confrontational and at times, absurd. Both parents are portrayed with sensitivity and truth. Under the surface, they struggle to withhold destructive, critical and potentially alienating comments while maintaining their connection with Candy and surprisingly, with Dan as well. Parental love and the practicalities of normal life are what the Wyatts are all about. Watching Abbie Cornish with Noni Hazlehurst, one can’t help being reminded of Cornish’s performance in Somersault. A similarly intense mother-daughter conflict echoes in Candy.

Although Cornish’s Candy is not the naïve, vulnerable young woman of Somersault, here she displays even more rawness and hopelessness. She is more vulnerable, but seemingly more in control than ever before. Ledger’s poetic Dan takes the path of least resistance and occasionally exhibits strength, intelligence and compassion. He is understated and likeable. Despite this, he is no innocent, adeptly conning and thieving his way from one hit to the next. Candy initially appears to be the weaker; an innocent victim of her own curiosity and it’s easy to blame him for her downward spiral. This illusion quickly dissolves as Candy leaps in head-first, brushing death itself aside not long after the first few blissful moments of the film. When times become tougher, she manifests the means to the end and ultimately embodies the end itself, more than once.

Aesthetically, Casper’s grand 1920s house, with its solid old leather couches, welcomes the audience. You can almost smell the atmosphere. It’s a bohemian comfort zone that starkly contrasts with the squalor in the lives of Candy and Dan. A user himself, Casper is the magical rich uncle type, intelligent and trustworthy, an antidote to the struggle and anxiety of their existence. They go to him for support and he appears invulnerable. Rush is clearly at home in the role, leading the audience to feel even more at home.


An unobtrusive narrative allows us to tap into the emotional strength and poetry of these lovers. “We did everything with the best of intentions”, from Dan, is not a justification but a clarification of how an addiction can take you beyond the logical – into the non-user's realms of the ridiculous, the demoralising, the ugly. At one point, he uses the word “bewildering” as he reflects on their situation. Candy’s narrative reads light into their truly dark story: “they lived on chocolate bars and sunshine.”

The plot develops around the dependencies of the couple and their attempts to escape. The pain, grief and pure ecstasy (excuse the pun) they experience on this path out of their pit of despair, takes them beyond the edge again and again while still remaining credible. It takes you to heaven, brings you down to earth and then shows you hell.

Director, Neil Armfield, allows the audience access to this unglamorous, seedy lifestyle and makes his characters almost blameless despite their failings. We warm to Candy and Dan and hope they can ‘recover’. This empathy is beautifully and gently exploited in the final scene of the film. Here, brilliant direction and genuine talent, without a hint of melodrama delivers perfection in completion. Cornish and Ledger offer the truth of love and chemistry. The same Tim Buckley lyrics resonate, this time deeper and slower, leaving the audience with a profound sense of sadness and joy, all at once. It’s an extraordinary feeling.

As she matures as an actress, Cornish promises to be among the cream of the Australian acting talent of the future. With such excellence in acting and direction, this is an Australian film to be proud of.


Candy
2006

Director: Neil Armfield
Producer: Marg Fink
Screenwriter & Book Author: Luke Davies
Cinematographer: Garry Phillips
Cast: Abbie Cornish, Heath Ledger Tony Martin, Noni Hazlehurst and Geoffrey Rush.