Heavenly Creatures
Peter Jackson is one of the most famed directors of all time since creating the sweeping Tolkien films. Transferring the much beloved book series into the first Lord of The Rings trilogy and now gripping us in Middle Earth one again for The Hobbit, Jackson has become a figurehead in great fantasy films. Of course, he didn’t always start off that way. Actually, in cult circles, Jackson is more famed for zombie movie Braindead and it’s sequel It’s Alive (as well as Bad Taste.) And if we ignore The Lovely Bones, there is one movie of Jackson’s that is often forgotten; Heavenly Creatures.
Based on a true story, Heavenly Creatures tells the story of Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker. Their friendship is striked up when the more wealthy Hulme movies to the working class Parker’s boarding school. The girls become close, perhaps too close, and their friendship begins to worry both their parents, especially Pauline’s mother. As their families lies and secrets come to ahead and the girls find themselves being pulled apart, the two hatch a scheme to hopes to stop their families interfering’ dark and murderous scheme. Starring Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynsky, this is a great drama from Peter Jackson.
The true story here is of murder and it is a dark and bleak one and Jackson does not approach it with the glee and splatter he had in his previous films. Instead, he layers the movie with knowledge and humanity. In fact, it is much about how they are viewed by others and not themselves that lead them to a heart breaking end. As much as a condemnation on the act, it is a comment on how prejudice and lack of understanding can influence such fragile minds as Hulme and Parker. Although, when the straw broke the camel’s back it end, it resulted in death and the girls have been separated forever. Jackson draws on this drama and conveys this so intricately, it is near beautiful. In Heavenly Creatures, Jackson paints a relationship that is human it is destruction and imagination.
The performance here is down to the now famous and Oscar Winning Winslet. In her movie debut, she approaches Juliet with an earnest and intelligence curiosity. Exploring the mind of a girl obsessed with her best friend and willing to commit murder for the sake of the relationship, a young Winslet already showcases talents that will take her further in her career. Winslet plays opposite a mature Lynsky who is certainly the darker element of the pair and both are extraordinary to watch. Not only do they encapsulate the love and bond between them, but they show the tension; a world they build together crashing down as reality and adult forces begin to peak in.
Heavenly Creatures is a must see movie. If you ever get a chance to see it, do so. It is an example of stunning filmmaking and even better acting. It places heavy pressure on the young lead actresses and they pull it off with strong conviction. It is an outstanding piece of drama and doesn’t negate the real life connotations that have surround it.
It is hellish and it is heavenly.
TTFN
Cookie
Heavenly Creatures is screening tonight at The Prince Charles Cinema!