Heavenly Creatures
Directed by Peter Jackson
Written by Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson
1994/New Zealand/Germany
Wing Nut Films/New Zealand Film Commission/Fontana Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental
IMDb users say 7.5/10; I say 7/10
[box] Pauline Parker: [voiceover, from her diary] We have decided how sad it is for others that they cannot appreciate our genius.[/box]
Although I was impressed by many aspects of Heavenly Creatures, the whole was just not my cup of tea.
Pauline (Melanie Lynskey) and Juliet (Kate Winslet) are high-school girls in 1950’s New Zealand. They find a common bond in their histories of childhood illnesses and love of Mario Lanza. Together, they invent the fantasy Kingdom of Borovnia in which they rule as King and Queen and an afterlife populated by their movie star heroes acting as Saints. Their intense friendship develops into something more and both sets of parents get worried. But trying to separate these girls could prove fatal ….
This film made Kate Winslet a star and her acting is quite wonderful as is that of the rest of the cast. The use of color is also quite beautiful. In this early effort, Peter Jackson shows his talent for fantasy and fantastical special effects.
The fantasy elements of the film were the problem for me. Although they were impressive, I thought they swamped the plot and characters. Paradoxically, this made the film less rather than more memorable for me.
Trailer
