Heavenly Creatures

Heavenly Creatures is based on the true story of the close relationship that develops between two school girls- Pauline and Juliet. As their friendship develops, their parents become concerned with the intimate nature of their friendship. When their parents plan to separate the girls, Pauline and Juliet conspire to kill Pauline’s mother and run away together.

Directed by post-horror comedy but pre-Lord of the Rings Peter Jackson, Heavenly Creatures has aspects of both eras of Jackson as a filmmaker. Th fantasy sequences that portray the girls’ fictional story they write together have shades of the visuals Jackson would go on to use in Lord of the Rings. But the film also has clear horror influences in its directing. Heavenly Creatures certainly boasts more refinement and less sheer excess than Jackson’s horror gore fests. However, Heavenly Creatures‘ rising suspense, the unsettling nature of the fantasy sequences plus the film’s disturbing climax all show a director who is familiar with the horror genre.

I really like the unsettling nature of this film. The fantasy sequences and general relationship between Pauline and Juliet is this great mixture of something that should be childlike and innocent but ends up being all the more disturbing because it’s not. Instead, it’s a skewed enough variation of something childlike and innocent that it becomes immensely but subtly disturbing.

This film also really benefits from its incredibly talented leads. Kate Winslet definitely steals the show and gives one of my favourite performances of hers. Melanie Lynskey is equally good in a less ostentatious role. She deserved to break out like Winslet did instead of becoming primarily known for Charlie Sheen’s stalker on Two and a Half Men. Separately, these two actresses are strong, together they’re dynamite. Neither of them has much character outside of their friendship with one another but that sort of works. This is a very codependent relationship and consumes so much of them that it makes sense that these characters only feel whole when both are together at once.

Much as I think subtext is for cowards, I enjoyed the way Pauline and Juliet’s relationship was depicted- with sex being an afterthought. The majority of the film has a non-romantic relationship that’s really just like a super unhealthy female bromance than anything. At the end of the film, the girls do take that step into undebatable homosexuality. It really does seem to be the only logical step for them given the consuming nature of their relationship. The sexual aspect really was a footnote though. Most of the time, their relationship remains this disturbing facsimile of childlike innocence.

Heavenly Creatures is a well-done, chilling and immensely creepy film. The performances are great, the atmosphere gripping and the story fascinating and disturbing. Heavenly Creatures is a very, very good movie even though it is certainly not a feel-good one.

Overall rating: 8.8/10