Review of Heavenly Creatures (1994) by Oreste M — 29 Nov 2009

After the brilliant, disgusting Dead Alive, Peter Jackson tried his hand at something totally different - a true-life drama based on two very close friends who murder one of their mothers in 1950's New Zealand. The story is fascinating on its own, but Jackson doesn't merely show the events as they happened, he tries to get inside the heads of the two girls. As you watch Heavenly Creatures, you see life mostly through the eyes of these very creative, very disturbed girls - resulting in an audacious, breathtakingly free film that's an emotional rollercoaster. It wildly swings between humor and beauty, sadness and horror, and is all captured by Peter Jackson's hyperactive camera, which just makes the film seem all the more out-of-control.

All this ambitious chaos might've gone completely out of control if the two central actresses weren't up to the challenge, but Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet are both astoundingly good. Lynskey is the more outwardly disturbed of the two, and perfectly brings her complex, frightening character to life, making her an absolute monster who is also extremely sympathetic. Kate Winslet is equally amazing, although at first she actually came across as irritating and amateurish. However, this is just a part of her character, who hides her pain with an overly cheery shell - when her dark side shows through, it's truly chilling. What Winslet does with her character is incredible, especially for a first performance. Also worth mentioning is Sarah Pierse as the doomed mother, who has less screentime than the girls but makes just as much of an impact. She portrays the mother as a flawed but goodhearted person, who ends up being by far the most sympathetic character in the whole film.

Overall, Heavenly Creatures in one of the most intriguing, unique movies I've seen in a long time. It tackles difficult, real subject matter head-on in a bold, unusual matter, and lets the viewer make up their own minds on what they just saw. A jaw-dropping work and an absolute must-see, although keep in mind - you will be very, very disturbed.

My ratings of Peter Jackson films:

1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy - 10.

2. King Kong - 9.

3. Heavenly Creatures / Dead Alive - 9's (like them equally for very different reasons).