Candy

A seductive and emotionally charged love story, Candy features a sensational performance from rising star Abbie Cornish (Somersault) and an astonishing Heath Ledger in his first role since Brokeback Mountain.

When Candy (Cornish), an artist, meets Dan (Ledger), a would-be poet, their mutual attraction blossoms. But their love for each other is inextricably caught up with another passion, a shared taste for heroin. As desire gives way to need, their dependence and shared emotional and physical decline are shown to harrowing effect.

Avoiding easy moralizing but never fearing to show the realities of addiction, Candy is a powerful and vividly realised adaptation of Luke Davies' semi-autobiographical novel. Matching the two fearless lead performances, Geoffrey Rush (Shine) excels as a chemistry professor whose fearless lust for life similarly leads him to the edge. A poetic, and lyrical work, acclaimed Australian director Neil Armfield opens the door on an intoxicating infatuation.