Review:
In 1954, a brutal murder shocked New Zealand. Two teenage girls killed the mother of one of them, in the hope of removing one of the obstacles keeping them apart. The film adaptation follows the diary of the daughter and tells the story of their friendship and love, that soon turns to obsession. Darkly poetic, the film manages to have the viewer root for the girls before the shocking ending to their story exposes the folly of their way. It’s a powerful story, masterfully told, that lives through the performance by the two leads, then-newcomers Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet. Ultimately, it’s a little too rambling with too many loose ends in the narrative to be perfect, but it’s still a very good film.
Random Observations:
Heavenly Creatures at the IMDb
You may have heard of director Peter Jackson. He went on to adapt a quite popular trilogy of fantasy books, creating the most successful films ever made in New Zealand.
There are certain parallels to Jackson’s latest film, The Lovely Bones, in that both blend fantasy and reality through the use of great special effects. In this case, however, the effects actually advance the story and do not detract from it.
Much of the film has an almost dream-like tone, which makes the realistic ending all the more powerful.
It has been extensively debated whether the two girls were “just” friends or actually lovers. A moot point in my opinion, as the obsession with each other that lead to the tragic ending, can support both ideas. The parents’ fear that their children may be lesbians, however, should not be discarded and is adequately shown in the film.
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