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"Candy"

Director Neil Armfield

ThinkFilm

The worst feature of addiction is that it can be to anything: sex, drugs, rebellion. In his new film, Heath Ledger indulges in all of them, but “Candy” turns out to be the most lethal.

Starring Ledger and Australian newcomer Abbie Cornish as the title character, “Candy” chronicles the demise of young lovers lusting after the needle.

Candy is a sinfully gorgeous middle-class artist who simultaneously falls for Dan (Ledger) and his harrowing heroin habits.

In this love triangle of boy, girl and drug of choice, the bond between Candy and Dan must overcome poison, poverty and prostitution.

Though she’s yet another blond bombshell to be exported from Australia – her hunky co-star opened the floodgates – Cornish makes a stunning American as the wild child. Though her character’s self-centered choices inspire feelings of contempt and disgust, Cornish brings to the role a forgiving sense of charm.

Even the gratuitous breast-baring every twenty minutes redeems itself through Cornish’s ability to turn the overt sexuality into understated humor.

When the landlord comes to collect rent from the struggling couple, Cornish, naked in bed with Dan, sits up nonchalantly, negotiating a way to delay their payment.

Her flippant attitude becomes her appeal and her bare breasts become an afterthought – for that scene, at least.

Ironically, it is when she is wearing clothes that she becomes a distraction. Her wardrobe is a puzzle in logic; how can she afford to look so chic when they can barely scrape together enough money to eat and satisfy their heroin addictions?

Regardless, Ledger takes center stage by his expectedly riveting performance.

As the lad who is just trying to keep his head above water, he plays the part with a knowing sigh and a telling expression.

Each obstacle he comes across, whether it be in calming a pregnant Candy suffering from heroin withdrawal or in robbing a man for all he’s worth, Ledger never overdramatizes, never understates. His fight to keep his marriage together is felt, not seen.

The plot may not be original, but it is raw; the film presents the gritty living quarters, the questionable sources of income and instability of day-to-day living that result from an inescapable drug habit. The film is an eye-opening look at the power of addiction – to heroin, to people and to Candy.

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