Candy (2006 film)

Candy
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Neil Armfield
Produced by	Margaret Fink Emile Sherman
Written by	Neil Armfield Luke Davies
Based on	Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction by Luke Davies
Starring	Heath Ledger Abbie Cornish Geoffrey Rush
Music by	Paul Charlier
Cinematography	Garry Phillips
Edited by	Dany Cooper
Distributed by	Renaissance Films
Release date	25 May 2006
Running time	108 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English

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.

A poet named Dan (Heath Ledger) 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 is alternating states of oblivion, self-destruction, and despair.

The film is organized in 3 acts of roughly 3 scenes each, titled Heaven, Earth, and Hell:

In Heaven, the young lovers ecstatically experience sex and drugs. Constantly seeking drug money, they borrow from Candy's parents or eccentric university professor Casper (Geoffrey Rush), selling things, stealing, even prostituting when desperate.

In Earth they are married and confront the realities of addiction and family life. Dan purchases the drugs; Candy becomes a prostitute. Dan steals a credit card and gets the owner's PIN, then steals money from his bank funds. Candy becomes pregnant, and despite their efforts to "go clean", the baby is delivered stillborn at 23 weeks. 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.