I am glad that the Australian film industry is making films about such interesting subjects, and particularly ones that have had their fair share of great films. Requiem for a Dream and Trainspotting were two films that really showed the drug culture in an interesting light, and were very entertaining. But, with Candy, I couldn't help but feel like it'd all been done before, just better.
We have the plot that is reasonably standard to these melancholy drug films: boy meets girl, they do drugs, they fight, they get back together, they descend, and a possible happy ending. As far as it goes the structure of these movies is not really the point. They all follow the same structure, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, it does mean that, as a genre, you really need to be able to hammer home your points well. Those points have to do with what you're saying about the drug culture and, more importantly, in my opinion, what you say about relationships.
Before I get started I'd like to say how absolutely brilliant the actors were. Heath Ledger has really shaken off the critics and proved himself to be a great dramatic actor, capable of picking good roles, and pulling them off to a tee. His performance was one par with any great modern actor. Geoffery Rush was his usual amazing self, adding a bit of humour to the movie, but in a way that never ruined the film. Of course, earning the biggest mention is Abbie Cornish, who is beautiful and wonderful as always in this film. Her performance is just mezmorising, and I couldn't keep my eyes off her. She is so perfect for these innocent-yet- knowing, vulnerable, melancholy roles. She is amazingly professional in everything she does, and she bucks the trend of young actors in nude scenes; she retains her respectability, and she actually adds gravitas to the movie through these (most welcome, if I may) scenes.
What does let it down is the somewhat tired direction and cinematography. To be rude, the cinematographer looks like he came straight from NIDA. "This is what you do to be dramatic", "this is what you do to be romantic" etc. The story was told in a very linear way, and the title of the movie divisions was simplistic to the point of being insulting. Though I am never a big fan of comparing films, one must wonder what this contributes to the genre. The similarities between this and Requiem for a Dream were plentiful in terms of structure and story, but Requiem did it with so much style. If Candy lacked anything it was a creative oomph.
All in all it is a film that is quite average, though I do not mean that in a derogatory way, as it has come to be associated. Every feature is very competent, but that is all. The thing that does make it a cut above the rest is the incredible acting. Hopefully, with actors like these, Australian filmmakers will be more daring in the future.
We have the plot that is reasonably standard to these melancholy drug films: boy meets girl, they do drugs, they fight, they get back together, they descend, and a possible happy ending. As far as it goes the structure of these movies is not really the point. They all follow the same structure, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, it does mean that, as a genre, you really need to be able to hammer home your points well. Those points have to do with what you're saying about the drug culture and, more importantly, in my opinion, what you say about relationships.
Before I get started I'd like to say how absolutely brilliant the actors were. Heath Ledger has really shaken off the critics and proved himself to be a great dramatic actor, capable of picking good roles, and pulling them off to a tee. His performance was one par with any great modern actor. Geoffery Rush was his usual amazing self, adding a bit of humour to the movie, but in a way that never ruined the film. Of course, earning the biggest mention is Abbie Cornish, who is beautiful and wonderful as always in this film. Her performance is just mezmorising, and I couldn't keep my eyes off her. She is so perfect for these innocent-yet- knowing, vulnerable, melancholy roles. She is amazingly professional in everything she does, and she bucks the trend of young actors in nude scenes; she retains her respectability, and she actually adds gravitas to the movie through these (most welcome, if I may) scenes.
What does let it down is the somewhat tired direction and cinematography. To be rude, the cinematographer looks like he came straight from NIDA. "This is what you do to be dramatic", "this is what you do to be romantic" etc. The story was told in a very linear way, and the title of the movie divisions was simplistic to the point of being insulting. Though I am never a big fan of comparing films, one must wonder what this contributes to the genre. The similarities between this and Requiem for a Dream were plentiful in terms of structure and story, but Requiem did it with so much style. If Candy lacked anything it was a creative oomph.
All in all it is a film that is quite average, though I do not mean that in a derogatory way, as it has come to be associated. Every feature is very competent, but that is all. The thing that does make it a cut above the rest is the incredible acting. Hopefully, with actors like these, Australian filmmakers will be more daring in the future.