HEAVENLY CREATURES
A film review by Ben Hoffman
Copyright 1995 Ben Hoffman
One of the things that makes HEAVENLY CREATURES a standout film is that all concerned with the making of the film were aiming for authenticity. The movie not only tells the story of a horrifying occurrence in Christchurch, New Zealand, some 40+ years ago but it brings you right into the story as you watch, fascinated, what now appears to be an inexorable series of events that lead to its climax.
Long searches for the exact actors to portray the characters, research into photos and newspaper articles on the atrocity, selection whenever possible, of the actual homes and gardens and schools , add to the richness of the finished product.
Back in 1952, in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, Pauline Parker (Melanie Lynskey) goes to school where as a bright but plain youngster she leads an uneventful life. Things change for her when pretty, brash, Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet), just arrived from England, enters the same ninth grade class Pauline attends. Opposite in many ways, there is nevertheless an attraction. When they discover that they both like to write, that they both have great imagination, the friendship deepens to the exclusion of all the other students.
Because of a series of incidents, the parents of both girls become aware that the friendship has become more like an obsession. As Juliet's parents, the Hulmes, (Diana Kent and Clive Merrison) are about to get a divorce and Mr. Hulme is returning to England, they decide the best way to break up the relationship between the two girls is to have him take his daughter, Juliet, to live with relatives in South Africa. Juliet insists that Pauline absolutely must go with them but Pauline's family uses the excuse of not allowing their 15-year-old daughter to leave the country. Those are some of the occurrences that lead to the tragedy, much of it documented in a diary Pauline had been keeping.
Scary, intriguing, well acted; what else could one ask?
Peter Jackson directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Frances Walsh.
4 Bytes 4 Bytes = Absolutely must see. 3 Bytes = Too good to be missed. 2 Bytes = So so. 1 Byte = Save your money.
Ben Hoffman
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