Candy (2006)

Director:

Neil Armfield

Writers:

Luke Davies (novel) and
Neil Armfield (writer)

Release Date:

25 May 2006 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

More is never enough.

Plot:

A poet (Ledger) falls in love with an art student (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.

Plot Keywords:

Washing Machine | Sydney Australia | Bathroom Scene | Call Girl | Aspiring Actress

Awards:

4 wins & 16 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. May 22	3:00 AM	SHOW
Sun. May 25	12:45 AM	SHOW
Sat. May 31	2:40 AM	SHOW

Cast

Abbie Cornish	...	Candy
Heath Ledger	...	Dan
Geoffrey Rush	...	Casper
Tom Budge	...	Schumann
Roberto Meza-Mont	...	Jorge (as Roberto Meza Mont)
Tony Martin	...	Jim Wyatt
Noni Hazlehurst	...	Elaine Wyatt
Holly Austin	...	Sunglasses Shop Assistant
Craig Moraghan	...	Washing Machine Dealer
John Lee	...	Hock Shop Man
Noel Herriman	...	Celebrant
Tim McKenzie	...	Uncle Rod
Tara Morice	...	Aunt Katherine
Maddi Newling	...	Janey
Patricia Lemon	...	Wedding Guest
Barry Jaggers	...	Wedding Guest
Cristian Castillo	...	Little Angelo
Leo Cowan	...	Mechanic
Jason Chan	...	Dan's Doctor
Luke Davies	...	Milkman
Paul Blackwell	...	Phillip Dudley
Sean O'Riordan	...	Man in Toilets
Adrienne Pickering	...	Teller
Damon Herriman	...	Roger Moylan
Lette Webb	...	Checkout Girl
Sandy Winton	...	Candy's Doctor
Rebecca Watt	...	Nurse
Nathaniel Dean	...	Paul Hillman
John McNeill	...	Pharmacist
Doreen Mullen	...	Woman in Pharmacy
Felix Kerdijk	...	Rent Boy
Felino Dolloso	...	Waiter

Directed by
Neil Armfield

Writing credits
Luke Davies		(novel "Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction")
Neil Armfield		writer

Produced by
Iain Canning	....	associate producer
Margaret Fink	....	producer
Angus Finney	....	executive producer
Andrew Mackie	....	executive producer
Richard Payten	....	executive producer
Libby Sharpe	....	line producer
Emile Sherman	....	producer
Michael Whyke	....	executive producer
Terrence Yason	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Paul Charlier

Cinematography by
Garry Phillips

Film Editing by
Dany Cooper

Casting by
Nikki Barrett

Production Design by
Robert Cousins

Art Direction by
Laurie Faen

Set Decoration by
Richie Dehne

Costume Design by
Jodie Fried

Makeup Department
Angela Conte	....	makeup & hair supervisor
Adele Durno	....	hair stylist
Adele Durno	....	makeup artist
Anna Gray	....	hair stylist
Anna Gray	....	makeup artist
Kellie Griffin	....	hair assistant
Kellie Griffin	....	makeup assistant

Production Management
Carl Beaumont	....	assistant unit manager
Colleen Clarke	....	post-production supervisor
Simon Lucas	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tim Lion	....	third assistant director
Alison Meir	....	second assistant director
Chris Webb	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Brett Bartlett	....	construction manager
Beth Garswood	....	graphic artist
Peter Malatesta	....	props buyer
Brooke Morris	....	assistant set decorator
Christian Petersen	....	props buyer
Christian Petersen	....	set dresser
Dean Sullivan	....	stand-by props
Jocelyn Thomas	....	art department coordinator

Sound Department
Mark Blackwell	....	sound recordist
Damian Candusso	....	sound effects editor
Paul Charlier	....	sound designer
Natalie Choo	....	foley artist (as Natalie Velik)
Leah Katz	....	assistant sound editor
Ian McLoughlin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael McMenomy	....	sound effects editor
Bronwyn Murphy	....	dialogue editor
Gerry Nucifora	....	boom operator
Andrew Plain	....	supervising sound editor
Blair Slater	....	foley recordist
Mario Vaccaro	....	foley artist

Special Effects by
Paul Katte	....	prosthetic baby
Nick Nicolaou	....	prosthetic baby
Luke Polti	....	fabricator: silicone pregnant belly
Conrad Rothmann	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Jason Billington	....	compositor: Fuel International
Kent Boswell	....	visual effects producer: Fuel International
Luke Cole	....	systems administrator: Fuel International
Sam Cole	....	senior compositor: Fuel International
Rebecca Dunn	....	senior compositor
Leo Gomez	....	scanning & recording
Danielle Hession	....	I/O operator
Michelle Hunt	....	digital compositor
Peter Luczak	....	scanning & recording
Dave Morley	....	visual effects supervisor: Fuel Interational
Matthew North	....	scanning & recording
Robert Sandeman	....	digital supervisor
Jamie Wood	....	compositor
Matthew Wynne	....	compositor

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Booth	....	gaffer
Scott Brokate	....	grip
Sally Eccleston	....	focus puller
Michael Gibbs	....	video split operator
Stephen Gray	....	best boy (as Steve Gray)
Hugh Hartshorne	....	still photographer
Craig Knight	....	assistant electrician
Jon Leahy	....	assistant grip
Gary Lincoln	....	key grip
Christian Luxton	....	clapper loader
Jun Tagami	....	still photographer
Adisug Tubtim	....	assistant electrician

Casting Department
Danny Long	....	casting assistant
Mim Weger	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Katherine Brown	....	costume prosthetics (as Kath Brown)
Robyn Elliot	....	costume supervisor (as Robyn Elliott)
Fiona Nicolls	....	costume stand-by
Luke Polpi	....	costume prosthetics
Jade Sims	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Rodrigo Balart	....	first assistant editor
Olivier Fontenay	....	color grader
David Lawrance	....	colorist

Music Department
Raf Chance	....	musician
Deyel Charlier	....	assistant to composer
Paul Charlier	....	music arranger
Paul Charlier	....	music editor
Paul Charlier	....	orchestrator
Tony David Cray	....	music recording engineer
Nicole Divall	....	musician
Ben Fink	....	musician
Christine Jackson	....	musician
Adrian Keating	....	music arranger
Adrian Keating	....	musician
Adrian Keating	....	orchestrator
Deborah Lander	....	musician
Tony Lista	....	music recording engineer
David Longo	....	musician
Ian McLoughlin	....	music mix engineer
Natalie Morrison	....	musician
Emma-Jane Murphy	....	musician
Norman Parkhill	....	music supervisor
Helena Rathbone	....	musician
Bill Risby	....	musician
John Rodgers	....	music consultant
John Rodgers	....	musician
Natasha Rumiz	....	musician
Royce Sanderson	....	assistant music editor
Phil Slater	....	musician
Hamish Stuart	....	musician
Stephanie Zarka	....	musician

Other crew
Jacob Allan	....	adr loop group
Mechele Axford	....	assistant to producer
Mechele Axford	....	clearances: TV playback
Neil Bell	....	assistant: Heath Ledger
Miro Bilbrough	....	press kit (as Miro Bilborough)
Kya Blondin	....	location assistant
Mark Brady	....	adr loop group
Phil Calloway	....	unit assistant
Penny Chai	....	production assistant
Emma Cohen	....	unit nurse
John Collee	....	script editor
Penny Cook	....	voice: TV
Robert Cousins	....	title designer
Ellenor Cox	....	electronic press kit
Sophie Dick	....	production coordinator
Louis Dillon-Savage	....	double
Louis Dillon-Savage	....	stand-in
Fiona Dunford	....	production secretary
Sascha Ettinger-Epstein	....	electronic press kit (as Sascha Ellinger)
Jemima Fallows	....	stand-in
Shayne Francis	....	adr loop group
Michael Gibbs	....	double
Michael Gibbs	....	stand-in
Marcus Gillezeau	....	electronic press kit
Ron Haering	....	stand-in
Genevieve Hegney	....	adr loop group
Craig Illot	....	assistant to director (as Craig Illott)
Paul Kiely	....	script supervisor
Andrew Lampe	....	production runner
John Leary	....	adr loop group
Daisy Little	....	production assistant
Ali Malone	....	location manager
Nicki Martin	....	unit publicist
Eloise Oxer	....	adr loop group
Leroy Page	....	double
Leroy Page	....	stand-in
Laurie Pettinari	....	safety officer
Clare Pollard	....	caterer
Bruce Reick	....	unit assistant
Kate Renwick	....	production secretary
John Russell	....	production accountant
Gavin Ryan	....	caterer
Raj Ryan	....	voice: TV
Kieran Sherlin	....	unit assistant
Corrie Soeterboek	....	completion bond
Monika Stankowski	....	assistant accountant
Nina Stevenson	....	legal services
Shannen Still	....	production runner
Eddie Tang	....	runner
Simon Willcox	....	stand-in: Dan

Production Companies

• Film Finance
• Paradigm Hyde Films
• Renaissance Films

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• California Filmes (2006) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• Central Partnership (2006) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Dendy Films (2005) (Australia) (theatrical)
• ICA Projects (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• LNK Filmes (2006) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Odeon (2006) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• THINKFilm (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• Wise Policy (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• Atlab (digital optical effects)
• FX Genius (special effects coordinator)
• Fuel International (visual effects)
• Makeup Effects Group Studio (prosthetic baby) (as Make-Up Effects Group)

Other Companies

• Atlab  rushes and post lab services
• Camera Cooks  catering
• Chris Rowell Productions Pty. Ltd.  negative matching (as Chris Rowell Productions)
• Cinetic Media  sales
• Digital Pictures, Sydney  HD commercial deliverables
• Firelight  epk production
• First Australian Completion Bond Company  completion bond (as Firtst Australian Completion Bond Co.)
• Fortissimo Films  world sales agency
• HW Wood Australia  insurance broker
• Huzzah Sound  sound editing facility
• Moneypenny Services  assistant accountant (as Moneypenny Services)
• Nina Stevenson & Associates  legal services provided by
• Reel Freight Solutions  freight services
• Showfilm  travel services
• Soundfirm  sound mixing studio
• Spectrum Films International  picture editing facility (as Spectrum Films)
• Spectrum Films International  post-production facilities
• Trackdown Digital  additional music recorded at
• inSYNC  music supervisor

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive depiction of drug addiction, disturbing images, language, sexual content and nudity.

Runtime:

USA:108 min | UK:108 min | UK:108 min (uncut) | Hong Kong:108 min | Australia:116 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIB | USA:R | South Korea:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Finland:K-15 | Italy:VM14 | Australia:MA (re-rating) | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Germany:16 | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 | Japan:R-15 | Australia:R

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Film Finance

Goofs:

Continuity: Just before Candy throws the ashtray at Dan, an open pack of matches on the table top disappears and reappears between shots.

Quotes:

Dan: I wasn't trying to wreck Candy's life. I was trying to make mine better.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "A Current Affair: Heath Ledger Special" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Slowly

"Everything we ever did we did with the best of intentions."

What a gripping film this is, not because of the enormous tragedy of its characters, but because of their goodness. Another user suggested ''Trainspotting'' meets ''Romeo + Juliet'' which I believe is an apt summary of Neil Armfield's Aussie gem Candy – the kind of film that takes you and shakes you with harrowing bleak portrayals juxtaposed with the euphoric state of romance. Although it is not devoid of faults, the film trumps most other films I've seen this year at the Stockholm Film Festival because of sheer emotional impact.

But Candy opens on a hypnotic note of false security; lovable slacker Dan (Heath Ledger) and bohemian art student Candy (Abbie Cornish) indulge in drug-induced games, smiling, laughing, kissing, even playing with children. In the next scene Candy almost ODs in the bathtub, and the film bravely swoops down and offers us a look at something infinitely more unpleasant: drug addiction. Indeed, 'Candy' was largely being advertised as a romance for reasons I cannot pretend to understand, other than perhaps the shock factor in abandoning gushy romance for a bruised reality. The truth of the matter is that it offers one of the most unflinching looks into seedy junkie lives since Reqiuem For a Dream.

The cast give fine and sometimes even excellent performances. Geoffrey Rush lends his dutiful Aussie charm to the supporting role of an 'accidental mentor' of sorts to Dan and Candy – "the father I always wanted, the one who buys you fizzy drinks and candy", remarks Dan in the introduction and we thereby know early on that his character is perhaps not a flawless or ethical one. Ledger is constantly pending between likable and loser in the film, and it is thanks to his apt narrative of events that he remains so well centred in the heart of 'Candy' (which should rightfully be titled 'Dan'). As a clever technique by first-time director Armfield, Ledger's soft-spoken narrative becomes punctured, mercilessly abandoning us in a time when we need it the most – when the seedy circumstances become too dire.

But the big surprise is Abbie Cornish who is now regrettably stirring up more buzz with the Phillippe-Witherspoon split than with her remarkably bruised performance as the tragic heroine, Candy. She captures the escalating despair, desperation and nihilism of her character effortlessly and translates it with great emotional transparency. Soon she has resorted to full-time prostitution to get money for hits, and it is just heartrending. In particular there is a poignant and emotional scene with Candy and her father embracing after a shocking bit of news that cements the chaos Dan and Candy have gotten themselves in.

Interestingly enough, 'Candy' is explicitly divided into three titled segments that pop up on the screen: heaven, earth and hell and it does a great job at portraying all three, uninhibitedly navigating the contrasts that form at their transitions. The soft-spoken words, love-making, drug-induced romantic euphoria and intimate caressing of the 'heaven' segment render 'hell' all the more harrowing, although I must remark that I found 'earth' to be by far the most graphic and difficult to watch. This can best be attributed to the scenes in which Dan and Candy try to lose their heroin addictions and lay suffering for days on a mattress, Trainspotting-style.

In the end, 'Candy' remains – much like its peers, a cautionary tale of the horrors of drug life and how addiction can mess you up, and mess with relationships. Although there are few discernible flaws that jump out and grab you, the attempted humour simply isn't in-tune and it is needed as a tension-easer at times. Owing to this, Candy sadly offers little light at the end of the tunnel and it is far too easy to lose yourself in the gloom hopelessness. Yet most of this is compensated for by great performances of intrinsically good people that you cannot help rooting for, as Dan says: "Everything we ever did we did with the best of intentions."

8 out of 10