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Candy
R1 - America - ThinkFilm Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak and Stevie McCleary (21st May 2007). |
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The Film
 "Obviously, it was a big dope weekend. You wanna be relaxed at your own wedding..." Loosely based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, "Candy" tells the tale of two people and three lovers; Dan, Candy...and heroin. Make no mistake about it, like any addition to the genre quickly being noted as 'drug addict movie', this is not an easy film to watch. It is unsettling and uncompromising. However it is a romance at heart, and that is what leads the story of this doomed love. Dan and Candy love each other. And just like Candy's parents are quietly devastated by her daughter's choice of partner, the young lovers are slowly ruined by heroin addiction. Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish portray the two as they go through the ups and downs of married life, pregnancy, detox, retox, and so on. In truth, their real marriage is to the unforgiving drug and they definitely suffer through better and worse. Three chapters of 'Heaven', 'Earth' and 'Hell' comprise the film and send a very clear message about the path it takes. After all, what goes up must fall back down. Dan and Candy attempt to survive the trip together though, as it becomes clear their addiction is also to each other. Drug movies are not easy to watch. In fact they most often contain similar plot elements, such as pawning items for a hit...selling their body for a hit...attempting to quit... It often appears like the same old trip just within different packaging. This does not mean that they are without merit, however. Just that there is not much fresh ground to cover. However, in every case, there will always be some films that stand out in their field. "Candy" is one of those films in the way that once you are hooked, it never lets you go. Every inch of the acting in this film is superb. It is one of the most realistic portrayals of addiction in cinema that I have seen. Ledger and Cornish act and react like actual human beings, making them sympathetic to their plight despite the very nature of it. It is no easy feat to feel empathy for characters who are the cause of their own demise, but it is accomplished here. Hedger especially is a stand-out here, displaying some incredible talent in key scenes. Of added note, the actors portraying Candy's parents do a fine job in their minor roles. And, of course, Geoffrey Rush does a fine job as Casper, the friend/mentor who acts as a sometimes supplier for the couple. And it is one of the best hidden secrets in the world of acting: Australian talent. I swear that if you need a small character-based role for a film, the place to look is in Australia. Their talent pool is extraordinary and it's on show here. The main issue with this film is that it's not that easy to recommend to someone. Drug movies never are. The themes and situations dealt with here are very hard to watch. From that viewpoint it is obvious that this movie is certainly not for everyone. If the subject matter intrigues you, then this is a fantastic choice of film to experience as the low points don't outstay their welcome, pulling back before dwelling on the horror too long. I daresay though if anyone thought drugs were glamorous before this film...this should put you straight off. I've known some people in my time that have gone through similar situations and this film has captured those moments painfully well. At the end of the day, the film does what no-one else can usually point to someone: how lives can be so easily wasted. Dan's narration points out that if someone is a junkie for ten years then "seven of those years is spent in the act of waiting." It is stark and unapologetic; it is endearing and affectionate. "Candy" is a powerful film, with its own ups and downs, but standing up with a backbone of tremendous performances and strong direction. It refrains from becoming preachy by staying simple and personal, hence never losing its hold on the audience. If this style of film interests you, then get yourself hooked on "Candy" already.
Video
Presented in a widescreen ratio of 1.78:1 this anamorphic transfer falls into the category of 'good not great'. There are several drawbacks to making a low budget drug movie and one of those drawbacks is that your movie will most likely look like a junkie: the edges aren't sharp and the overall feeling is flat and murky. The image has its moments namely exteriors appear nice and defined but a lot of the film is plagued with grain and compression artefacts, blacks and dark colors especially display noise. Skin tones are natural and the print is generally clean, but that's really all the good stuff I can say about it.
Audio
A single English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track is included and it's a subdued effort that presents dialogue clearly and without distortion. Minor (and occasional) ambient noise is used effectively in the rear channels but aside from that and the film's music those channels are fairly dormant. It's not a dynamic mix, with limited range and depth but it does the job as this film is mainly dialogue driven anyway. Optional subtitles are included in Spanish only.
Extras
The main extra on this disc is the feature-length audio commentary by the film's writer/director Neil Armfield and novelist/co-screenwriter Luke Davies. The majority of the track has Davies posing questions to director Armfield about his directorial decisions, he seems focused on visual metaphors and comments about it often especially in the film's opening scenes where he admits to copying François Truffaut. The participants talk about the story elements and what is different from the book, casting is also covered as are the characters portrayed here among other things. The tracks' tone is rather slow and dreary; Armfield especially has an unappealingly boring tone that can put a hyperactive child to sleep. If you can make it past the first 30 minutes of this track then you might find something of interest in this track, otherwise it's best to keep one finger hovering over the 'fast-forward' button. Following that is "Writing on the Wall: Candy's Poem in Motion", this is a featurette which runs for 2 minutes 21 seconds, this is basically a visual poem reading set to music and background clips from the film. Next up is "Candy: The Path to Wild Abandon", a featurette which runs for 9 minutes 12 seconds, this EPK clip takes a look at the filming of several key scenes from the film as the cast and crew are interviewed about the film, it's themes and the process from novel to film among other things. It's a fairly standard making-of clip that doesn't go into too much detail. Also included is the film's original theatrical trailer which runs for 1 minute 55 seconds. Rounding out the extras are some bonus trailers for: - "Off The Black" which runs for 2 minutes 11 seconds. - "The King" which runs for 2 minutes 13 seconds.
Overall
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