Review of Heathers (1989) by Filipeneto — 06 Sep 2020

In this film, a young woman named Veronica manages to join the group of the most beautiful and popular girls at school: the Heathers. However, she quickly realizes that they are futile, cold, cruel and materialistic, and quickly gains a deep dislike for them. This is where a new and unusual student comes in, with whom she quickly becomes involved. He is different and encourages her to take action. After a short while, they are murdering schoolmates... until she realizes that they are going too far.

It is a sarcastic and intelligent film that is recommended for its black humor but that should be viewed with caution by those who have more suggestible teenagers. The themes covered are appealing and the way the script does it is interesting and becomes really good if we take into account the quality of the cast, although it is not a particularly remarkable film for any of those involved. Nowadays, I think, it is a film that has fallen by the wayside, victim of the controversial theme that it decided to address.

I liked Winona Ryder's performance, still very young and beautiful. Christian Slater is also very good and they both do an excellent job together. I read that they were dating at the time and I personally believe that. I also really liked the performance of Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk and Kim Walker, who brought the three Heather's to life.

From a technical point of view it seemed to me a discreet film, betting more strongly on its plot, the story told and the performance of the actors. This was clearly a wise move by the director, Michael Lehmann, who knew perfectly well what he had in hand. Good cinematography and an intelligent use of colors and contrast are the most obvious elements, in addition to good sets, costumes and a soundtrack very well elaborated.