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Derek Malcolm's rating
Heaven, Hell and heroin
By
Derek Malcolm
2 Nov 2006
"When you can stop, you don't want to. When you want to, you can't," says Geoffrey Rush's gay heroin addict in Neil Armfield's often impressive Australian film.
It also stars Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish as young artists and lovers who can't leave heroin alone until she unexpectedly gets pregnant and they try for cold turkey. But things don't get better. They lose the baby. It's not the sort of film that leaves you feeling brighter.
It is, however, both well played and directed. Armfield divides his film, based on a Luke Davies novel, into three sections: there's Heaven, during which the lovers luxuriate in each other; Hell, when they attempt to get off drugs; and Earth, which may denote the inevitable consequences of their lifestyle.
More than anything else, Candy confirms the talents of Ledger after Brokeback Mountain and Cornish, who is heading for a profitable Hollywood career.
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