Drugs, addiction, manic obsession — it's an oft-told tale but "Candy" is a particularly clear-eyed view on the allure and subsequent destructive power of drugs; in this case heroin.
Directed by Australia's Neil Armfield and starring Heath Ledger back in his native land and localized accent (and it's incredibly sexy), "Candy" traces the rapid downward spiral of a couple hooked irrevocably on each other and smack, not necessarily in that order. Dan (Ledger) is a self-professed poet with all the charm and mannerisms of a modern-day Rimbaud, without the talent or will to actually produce something. Candy (Abbie Cornish) is an aspiring painter who falls headlong for Dan and his habit of shooting up (she herself had previously only sniffed the stuff). They click immediately, but the opening scenes that show them riding The Rotor, an amusement-park ride that pushes screaming people against a circular wall with enormous centrifugal force, already forebodes and defines what their relationship will be about.
The film is divided into three parts. The first section, entitled "Heaven," comes off like a thousand underwear adverts (Emporio Armani et al) mashed together and unfolding to MTV-friendly rock. In other words, Candy and Dan can't keep their scantily clad limbs off each other and neither can they stop dipping into their heroin stash. Their twin obsessions feed off each other and the pleasure they get from both activities double and redouble their need and joy.