Candy

Candy is a young artist with a free-spirited approach to life who becomes involved with Dan, an aspiring poet. Their romance develops quickly, and through him she is drawn into a bohemian world centred on heroin. The two are as dependent on each other as they are on the drug, and their relationship moves between pleasure, numbness and despair. As money runs short they sell what they own, and Candy turns to sex work while Dan drifts further into addiction. Casper, an older figure in their lives, is the closest thing they have to a steadying presence.

The film was directed by Neil Armfield, who wrote the screenplay with Luke Davies. It is the first of two features Armfield has directed; his second, Holding the Man, followed in 2015. Abbie Cornish and Heath Ledger play Candy and Dan, with Geoffrey Rush as Casper. It was produced by Margaret Fink and Emile Sherman, and made in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Released in 2006, Candy runs 116 minutes. It took about 2 million dollars worldwide, a modest return for a drama of its kind. On IMDb it holds 7.2 out of 10 from around 50,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.1 out of 10 from a much smaller number of votes. A critics' rating of 6.1 out of 10 sits below both audience scores, suggesting viewers responded to the film more warmly than reviewers did.