Candy – Reise der Engel (2006)

Candy – Reise der Engel: Directed by Neil Armfield. With Abbie Cornish, Heath Ledger, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Budge. A poet falls in love with an art student 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 alternates between states of oblivion, self-destruction, and despair.

“u0026quot;Candyu0026quot; is one of those films where you walk away feeling a little bit stunned by the awful reality it exposes. It is not a pretty film nor a pretty subject, but as another u0026quot;drugu0026quot; film, at least we can feel an empathy for the main characters,whilst the horror of heroin addiction is still depicted.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt is this balance that sets u0026quot;Candyu0026quot; apart from many other druggie pics.The love between Candy and Dan is very real. Affectionate, painful,hopeful and hopeless, it transcends the heroin story to the extent where we really hope everything will work out for them; though weu0026#39;re taken on the ride of rapid decline so familiar with this drug.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMuch credit for this balance lies with an excellent story and direction from Neil Armfeld (more familiar with theatre in Australia), and some superb acting from Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish in the leads.Geoffrey Rush has a delicious support role as Danu0026#39;s friend Casper,a u0026quot;mentoru0026quot; whom we suspect is a little tormented by his own influences.Tony Martin and Noni Hazelhurst round out the main supports as Candyu0026#39;s suffering parents,loving but helpless as they observe their daughteru0026#39;s descent into a world they never knew.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLike drug problems in real life, all the characters enmeshed in the mess are frail, vulnerable,emotional and ill. They are good and bad.They blame each other and themselves. They look everywhere for solutions that might work,yet we suspect the ultimate solution is too difficult.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI suspect that in years to come,this will become one of the ultimate drug pics to show to teenagers. Not hopeless like Trainspotting,nor in anyway melodramatic like so many others(Clean and sober,28 days etc..), it shows the horrors of drug addiction whilst maintaining its humanity.The ending may be disappointing for some, but it remains true to the love, hope and uncertainty central to this film and to anyone who lives with recovery.”