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Candy (2006 film)
Encyclopedia
Candy is a 2006 Australian romantic
drama film
, adapted from Luke Davies
's novel Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction
. Candy was directed by debut film-maker Neil Armfield
and stars Heath Ledger
, Abbie Cornish
and Geoffrey Rush
.
Candy, produced by Margaret Fink
, was released in Australia on 25 May 2006 and subsequently released around the world.
) falls in love with an art student named Candy (Abbie Cornish
) 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.
The film is organized in three acts of roughly 3 scenes each, titled Heaven
, Earth
, and Hell
. In Heaven, sex and drugs are experienced ecstatically by the young lovers. They continuously seek money to buy drugs, borrowing from Candy's parents or Casper (Geoffrey Rush
), an eccentric university professor, selling things, stealing, and even prostituting when desperate.
In Earth they are married and confront the realities of addiction and family life. For money, Candy becomes a prostitute; Dan purchases the drugs. Dan steals a credit card, gets the owner's PIN
, and steals money out of the owner's bank funds. Candy mistakenly becomes pregnant, and despite their efforts to "go clean
" the baby is delivered still born around 23 weeks into the pregnancy. They finally stop taking drugs with huge effort, going through agonizing withdrawal
symptoms in the process. Despite poor living conditions, constant struggles for money, and frequent disputes, they love each other very much.
In Hell they experience the dissolution of their relationship and recovery. Dan and Candy choose to move out into the country to "try methadone
" as a way to ease into a more normal life. After a disastrous Sunday lunch, Candy fights with her parents, breaks down and screams at them to leave. Eventually, she becomes involved with one of their neighbors, who is also a drug user, and relapse
s to her previous lifestyle. Candy has a complete mental breakdown
, and becomes extremely distant toward Dan. He returns to Casper only to find he has died of a drug overdose
, forcing Dan to reconsider his life. While Candy recovers in a clinic
, Dan gets clean and holds down a job as a dishwasher. When Candy returns to Dan he recognizes that their relationship is based on heroin, and the two can no longer communicate. As such, even though he is still in love with Candy, he decides to end the relationship for good rather than risk dragging her back into addiction.
based the novel largely on his own life and experiences—Ledger's character Dan being a semi-autobiograpical creation—and was honoured and shaken by Ledger's portrayal : "It was, to me, another person up there on the screen; I was merely, along with everyone else, the observer of a beautiful performance. And yet I was aware that I was the only person watching the film who could say it was in some way me on screen. It was an unnerving experience. It felt like a privilege, too."
Nominated:
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
, adapted from Luke Davies
Luke Davies
Luke Davies is an Australian writer of novels, poetry and screenplays, born in Sydney in 1962.Davies' first poetry collection, Four Plots for Magnets, was published in 1982, when he was twenty....
's novel Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction
Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction
-Plot introduction:In Luke Davies' Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction, the unnamed narrator falls in love with Candy, who gravitates to his bohemian lifestyle... and his love of heroin...
. Candy was directed by debut film-maker Neil Armfield
Neil Armfield
Neil Geoffrey Armfield AO is an Australian director of theatre, film and opera.Born in Sydney, Armfield was the youngest of three boys. The son of a factory worker at the nearby Arnott's biscuit factory he was brought up in the suburb of Concord adjacent to Exile Bay...
and stars Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger
Heath Andrew Ledger was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career...
, Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
and Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
.
Candy, produced by Margaret Fink
Margaret Fink
Margaret Fink is a prominent Australian film producer noted for her important role in the revival of Australian cinema in the 1970s....
, was released in Australia on 25 May 2006 and subsequently released around the world.
Plot
A poet named Dan (Heath LedgerHeath Ledger
Heath Andrew Ledger was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career...
) falls in love with an art student named Candy (Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
) who gravitates to his bohemian
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
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.
The film is organized in three acts of roughly 3 scenes each, titled Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
, Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, and Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. In Heaven, sex and drugs are experienced ecstatically by the young lovers. They continuously seek money to buy drugs, borrowing from Candy's parents or Casper (Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
), an eccentric university professor, selling things, stealing, and even prostituting when desperate.
In Earth they are married and confront the realities of addiction and family life. For money, Candy becomes a prostitute; Dan purchases the drugs. Dan steals a credit card, gets the owner's PIN
Personal identification number
A personal identification number is a secret numeric password shared between a user and a system that can be used to authenticate the user to the system. Typically, the user is required to provide a non-confidential user identifier or token and a confidential PIN to gain access to the system...
, and steals money out of the owner's bank funds. Candy mistakenly becomes pregnant, and despite their efforts to "go clean
Cold turkey
"Cold turkey" describes the actions of a person who abruptly gives up a habit or addiction rather than gradually easing the process through gradual reduction or by using replacement medication....
" the baby is delivered still born around 23 weeks into the pregnancy. They finally stop taking drugs with huge effort, going through agonizing withdrawal
Withdrawal
Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and alcohol...
symptoms in the process. Despite poor living conditions, constant struggles for money, and frequent disputes, they love each other very much.
In Hell they experience the dissolution of their relationship and recovery. Dan and Candy choose to move out into the country to "try methadone
Methadone
Methadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as an analgesic and a maintenance anti-addictive for use in patients with opioid dependency. It was developed in Germany in 1937...
" as a way to ease into a more normal life. After a disastrous Sunday lunch, Candy fights with her parents, breaks down and screams at them to leave. Eventually, she becomes involved with one of their neighbors, who is also a drug user, and relapse
Relapse
Relapse, in relation to drug misuse, is resuming the use of a drug or a dependent substance after one or more periods of abstinence. The term is a landmark feature of both substance dependence and substance abuse, which are learned behaviors, and is maintained by neuronal adaptations that mediate...
s to her previous lifestyle. Candy has a complete mental breakdown
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
, and becomes extremely distant toward Dan. He returns to Casper only to find he has died of a drug overdose
Drug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
, forcing Dan to reconsider his life. While Candy recovers in a clinic
Clinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
, Dan gets clean and holds down a job as a dishwasher. When Candy returns to Dan he recognizes that their relationship is based on heroin, and the two can no longer communicate. As such, even though he is still in love with Candy, he decides to end the relationship for good rather than risk dragging her back into addiction.
Cast
- Abbie CornishAbbie CornishAbbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
as Candy - Heath LedgerHeath LedgerHeath Andrew Ledger was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career...
as Dan - Geoffrey RushGeoffrey RushGeoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
as Casper - Tom BudgeTom BudgeTom Budge is an Australian actor. Budge was born in Melbourne, Victoria. Early in his acting career, Budge appeared in a number of Australian television shows, includingNeighbours, Round the Twist and Shock Jock etc...
as Schumann - Roberto Meza Mont as Jorge
- Tony MartinTony Martin (actor)Tony Martin is an Australian actor. He married Rachael Blake on 21 December 2003. His son, Justin, is also an actor, with appearances in Somersault and Blue Water High to his credit....
as Jim Wyatt - Noni Hazlehurst as Elaine Wyatt
- Tim McKenzie as Uncle Rod
- Tara MoriceTara MoriceTara Morice is an Australian actress, singer, and dancer.Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Morice also lived in Sydney, Alice Springs and Adelaide as a child...
as Aunt Katherine - Maddi Newling as Janey
- Cristian Castillo as Little Angelo
- Paul BlackwellPaul BlackwellPaul Blackwell is a well-known Australian stage actor and occasional film actor.He attended the National Institute of Dramatic Arts from 1980 to 1982 and has appeared in many productions from some of Australia's best-known theatre companies, including Company B, Sydney Theatre Company, State...
as Phillip Dudley - Adrienne PickeringAdrienne Pickering-Biography:Pickering stars in one of the female lead roles of the Australian natural drama-thriller film The Reef.-Television career:She also played the recurring role of Detective Christine Taylor in the BBC-commissioned soap opera Out of the Blue. She appears on Home And Away as Natalie Franklin,...
as Teller - Nathaniel DeanNathaniel DeanNathaniel Dean is an Australian actor and NIDA graduate, with a range of television credits that include: Home and Away , Always Greener , Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars , All Saints , Rain Shadow , Underbelly and Rush .He plays NickScandlon in WildboysDean is also an Australian movie actor, with...
as Paul Hillman - Alicia Hannah as Neighbour
Festivals
- 2006 – Germany – Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film FestivalThe Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
- 2006 – Hong Kong International Film Festival]]
- 2006 – Canada – Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film FestivalThe Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
- 2006 – UK – BFI London Film Festival
- 2006 – USA – Milwaukee International Film Festival
- 2007 – Singapore – Singapore International Film FestivalSingapore International Film FestivalThe Singapore International Film Festival was launched in 1987. The festival is an annual film event, held around April/May each year, and screens about 300 films from over 45 countries...
Reception
Luke DaviesLuke Davies
Luke Davies is an Australian writer of novels, poetry and screenplays, born in Sydney in 1962.Davies' first poetry collection, Four Plots for Magnets, was published in 1982, when he was twenty....
based the novel largely on his own life and experiences—Ledger's character Dan being a semi-autobiograpical creation—and was honoured and shaken by Ledger's portrayal : "It was, to me, another person up there on the screen; I was merely, along with everyone else, the observer of a beautiful performance. And yet I was aware that I was the only person watching the film who could say it was in some way me on screen. It was an unnerving experience. It felt like a privilege, too."
Awards
Won:- 2006 Australian Writers Guild Awards: Feature Film - Adaptation (Luke Davies with Neil Armfield).
- 2006 Film Critics Circle of Australia: Best Actress in a Lead Role (Abbie CornishAbbie CornishAbbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Geoffrey RushGeoffrey RushGeoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
).
Nominated:
- 2006 Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film FestivalThe Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
: Golden Berlin Bear. - 2006 Film Critics Circle of Australia: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Heath LedgerHeath LedgerHeath Andrew Ledger was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career...
), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Noni Hazlehurst), Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Music Score (Paul CharlierPaul CharlierPaul Charlier is an Australian composer and sound designer who works primarily in theatre and film. He has also worked in radio and was a founding member of the Sydney post-punk band SoliPsiK...
). - 2006 Australian Film Institute AwardsAustralian Film Institute AwardsThe Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
: Best Film, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Abbie CornishAbbie CornishAbbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Heath LedgerHeath LedgerHeath Andrew Ledger was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career...
), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Geoffrey RushGeoffrey RushGeoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Noni Hazlehurst), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Production Design. - 2006 Inside Film Awards: Best Actor (Heath LedgerHeath LedgerHeath Andrew Ledger was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career...
), Best Actress (Abbie CornishAbbie CornishAbbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
).