Review of Heavenly Creatures (1994) by Jared C — 15 Aug 2010

A true story between two young girls with extremely active imaginations that draw them farther and farther from what little connection they appear to have with reality is beautifully rendered by someone, who at that point, had been known as little more than a maker of transgressively disgusting horror films; Peter Jackson.

Stretches of the film can be somewhat boring, but this is easily made up for by the rock solid performances by the two leads and fascinating forays into the fantasy world that they've created. By the time the shocking act of violence is committed near the end, it's difficult not to understand the motivations of the characters, even if you don't condone what they've done; surprisingly, the subtle, humanistic touches seen throughout the film ended up informing the more delicate moments of the trilogy that Jackson would see in the next decade.