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Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent, Clive Merrison ... see more see more... , Simon O'Connor , Peter Anthony Elliott , Elizabeth Moody , Peter Jackson , Ray Henwood , Liz Mullane , Barry Thomson

After winning a cult following for several offbeat and darkly witty gore films, New Zealand director Peter Jackson abruptly shifted gears with this stylish, compelling, and ultimately disturbing tale ... read more read more...of two teenage girls whose friendship begins to fuel an ultimately fatal obsession. Pauline (Melanie Lynskey) is a student in New Zealand who doesn't much care for her family or her classmates; she's a bit overweight and not especially gracious, but she quickly makes friends with Juliet (Kate Winslet), a pretty girl whose wealthy parents have relocated from England. Pauline and Juliet find they share the same tastes in art, literature, and music (especially the vocal stylings of Mario Lanza), and together they begin to construct an elaborate fantasy world named Borovnia, which exists first in stories and then in models made of clay. The more Pauline and Juliet dream of Borovnia, the more the two find themselves retreating into this fantastical world of art, adventure, and Gothic romance as they slowly drift away from reality. The girls' parents decide that perhaps they're spending too much time together, and try to bring them back into the real world, but this only feeds their continued obsession with Borovnia (and each other) and leads to a desperate and violent bid for freedom. Featuring excellent performances (especially by Kate Winslet) and imaginative production design and special effects, Heavenly Creatures skillfully allows the audience to see Pauline and Juliet both from their own fantastic perspective and how they seem to the rest of the world. Remarkably enough, Heavenly Creatures is based on a true story; in real life, Juliet grew up to become mystery novelist Anne Perry. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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46 critics

R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Release Date: November 16, 1994

Keywords: horror

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DVD Release Date: September 24, 2002

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Flixster Reviews (1,999)

  • Deano78
    February 13, 2012
    Deano78
    Hmmm well it seems I'm in the minority but to call this a masterpiece is way of the mark for me. I'm not a fan of most drama's. When they are good they can be brilliant and among my favourite films. This was just a bit too surreal and odd. Based on a true crime in New Zealand in ... read morethe 50's. It gets very strange later on as the relationship and madness intensifies! If you like wacky films or odd dramas you might love it, but it's not for me.
  • fb733768972
    February 12, 2012
    fb733768972
    In one of the strangest movies I have ever seen, Paulina (Melanie Lynskey) and Juliet (Kate Winslet) meet each other against all odds, and realize they have the same interests and offbeat personalities. They decide to create an entirely new world, to escape the world that they be... read morelieve they do not belong. Family and health issues get involved and they must spend time apart. This is insanely hard for them to accomplish, and when they do get back together, they begin to see their true "love" forever. Paulina keeps a diary of every event since they met, and this eventually becomes evidence that will, in the future, destroy their lives. This film is bizarre, brilliantly written, and perfectly casted, but I can not help but question some of the scenes that seems kind of random. "Heavenly Creatures" is a magnificent story that could have been altered in post-production, but for what it is, i absolutely love it!
  • TomBowler
    January 1, 2012
    TomBowler
    Genuinely disturbing with some fine performances. Full review later.
  • blkbomb
    December 8, 2011
    blkbomb
    Pauline:  We realised why Deborah and I have such extraordinary telepathy and why people treat us and look at us the way they do. It is because we are MAD. We are both stark raving MAD! 

    "The true story of a crime that shocked a nation."

    This early drama from Peter Jackson is a... read more tremendous and haunting look at a friendship gone horribly wrong. The film is notable for many reasons, one of which is that it is the film debut for Kate Winslet. She shows the huge talent she would become early on. It's also the debut of Melanie Lynskey. She didn't become as a huge a star as Kate Winslet, but she was phenomenal here. Bothe actresses pull their characters off to near perfection and that's really what the film depended on. 

    Two girls start a friendship; one a quiet type, the other a loud and confident, if rather annoying girl. The friendship starts off as your normal run of the mill friendship. Two people with similar interests meet and enjoy those interests together. They do art together, listen to music, write and soon create a whole fantasy world that they begin to live in more then their normal life. This grabs the attention of the parents and through the girls rebellion, a shocking crime takes place. 

    This may not be Peter Jackson's best film, but I believe it to be his best directing job. He weaves the true life story into an amazing film by diving into the girls friendship more than the actual crime. He let's their twisted friendship lead us to the shocking conclusion, instead of just making the movie all about the murder. The movie isn't hard to watch like you would think from the subject matter. That is, until the last few minutes.

    Heavenly Creatures is a one of a kind crime film that really elevated Peter Jackson to a whole new level as a filmmaker. Who could have guessed that he would reach a whole new stratosphere years later. 
  • jamers2011
    July 4, 2011
    jamers2011
    This was great! A devastating, yet utterly beautiful film!

    After Peter Jackson's masterpieces, The Lord of the Rings, I became interested in his previous work, especially Heavenly Creatures. I am so glad I finally saw this because it is brilliant. It follows the lives of two g... read moreirls who develop a close relationship after creating an imaginary world.

    The first thing that stood out to me was the acting. This was the debut film for Melanie Lynsky and Kate Winslet, and what a debut it was! They both give phenomenal performances here. Both deserved Oscar nominations for this, and I am surprised not even one of them was nominated. The level of emotion and conflict they show is just unbeleivable, they really make this film as effective as it is. Also, Sarah Peirse gives a fantastic performance as the mother.

    The second thing was the direction...Peter Jackson is brilliant! This easily could have been a mess. There were times in the beginning of the film where I kept that thought in the back of my mind, I was like "there's no way anyone could pull this film off, it's crazy!" I was completely wrong. There is so much that needed to be developed...the relationship of the girls, the real world, the fantasy world, the conflict in the parents. But it was all developed, this film is deep. This is the one thing that really made this film work for me.

    Another thing that I really liked was how horrific and beautiful the film was. It really blew me away!

    A stunning film by director Peter Jackson!
  • lewiskendell
    December 11, 2010
    lewiskendell
    "The next time I write in this diary, mother will be dead. How odd, yet how pleasing."

    This early writing and directorial effort by Peter Jackson and starring a young Kate Winslet is an odd one to pin down. Especially odd, since it's based on a true story (which I didn't know un... read moretil the film was over). It's about the intense friendship between two girls living in New Zealand. One is sullen and withdrawn, the other, a wealthy transplant from England, is outspoken and draws attention with her very presence. Both are intelligent, imaginative, and share a similar casual darkness in their personalities.

    As their friendship blooms and grows more and more intense, their parents (this being set in the 50's) begin to suspect an unwholesome aspect to their relationship. When the threat of separation arises, the girls swiftly and resolutely settle on a grisly solution to their forced division: murder.

    The movie shifts in tone often, from a sort of coming of age story, to the fanciful world of the girls' imaginations, to their rage and heartbreak at their parents. Kate Winslet was pretty good, but you could tell that she was still finding her way and confidence as an actress. I found the plot to be rather dull at the start, but it grew more interesting as it continued on to a rather abrupt ending.

    Interesting is a good word to use describe Heavenly Creatures, as a whole. It held my attention, even during the parts where I was a little less than entertained. It's unflinchingly dark in some aspects, and innocent and childlike in others. I'd recommend it to most just based on the fact that it's something different, and there's merit in that. It's well-made, also, I just found my interest fluctuating too often to give the movie a higher score.

    And how does Kate Winslet look almost exactly the same today as she did in 1994? Now that's a topic that's interesting enough to make a movie about.
  • flixsterman
    November 20, 2010
    flixsterman
    A tragic true story artfully presented by director Peter Jackson. I was completely taken in by the whimsical yet ominous integration of fantasy and reality. An off-beat coming of age drama pontooned by the enormous talents of Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet.
  • aliceinpunderland
    June 27, 2010
    aliceinpunderland
    Melanie Lynskey is the true star of this film. Her scowls and growls are just so unattractive (in a good way). I'm a little disappointed that she's now chewing the scenery on "Two and a Half Men." I think Kate Winslet is rather good NOW, but I'm not a fan of her earlier films.... read more Part of that has to do with the fact that she has looked like a middle-aged woman since she was 17 probably. She looks too old for this role, and she oversells Juliet's fey wackiness. The clay people are pretty cool.
  • DrZeek
    January 11, 2010
    DrZeek
    Juliet Hulme: Only the best people fight against all obstacles in pursuit of happiness.

    A well made, well scripted drama, combined with fantasy elements, from director Peter Jackson. A strong departure from Jackson, who up until this point had been making horror-splatter-comed... read moreies, and would only go on to large scale epics with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Here, he has made a film focused on more thematic elements about characters, which combined with his visual style, makes for a very interesting film.

    Pauline Parker, played by Melanie Lynskey, and Juliet Hulme, played by Kate Winslet (both girls in their debut roles), met in school during the 1950s in New Zealand. Instant best friends, they proceeded to spend every minute possible together, often writing about a fantasy land of their own invention. More and more estranged from their respective families, the two girls realize that they are extremely different from most other people, and agree to take any steps necessary to ensure that they are not separated. The two families grow increasingly concerned about the girls' friendship, questioning how close they actually may be, resulting in the direct plans to separate them. The result is where the true story actually ends, with the girls planning to murder Pauline's mother.

    Of course this is a dramatic retelling of the actual elements, but beyond being based off the true story, a lot of elements from the real life happenings have been incorporated into this film. Many scenes were filmed in the exact locations, the narrated segments are all actual passages from Pauline's diary, and even the fantasy elements are portrayed as the two girls had written them. These elements combined with the strong scripting by Jackson and his partner/producer Fran Walsh work very well to convey the story.

    As far as Jackson's visual sense goes, this has the kind of signature camera style that can easily be attributed to a specific director. I always had Jackson pegged as the Southern Hemisphere version of Sam Raimi. Both had similar career paths and a specific visual style that can be instantly recognized. Here, Jackson's very cinematic camera usage is mixed with his first use of WETA, which he basically founded. The effects work in this film is quite neat to portray some of the fantasy aspects.

    Performances by the two actresses are quite strong, and while Winslet rose to quite obvious fame, I'm glad to see Lyskey popping up in roles quite often as well.

    Well made, dark tale.

    Pauline Parker: The next time I write in this diary, Mother will be dead. How odd... yet how pleasing.
  • deano
    July 20, 2009
    deano
    Wonderfully imaginative and impressive film that Peter Jackson ever made in this based on a true story of two girls' fantasy life. Visually, this movie is stunning. The landscape of Christchurch and the surrounding area is beautiful, and adds a sense of authenticity to the film. ... read moreThe voice overs are extracts from the real Pauline Parker's diary, and explain very well what exactly is going on inside of her head.
    Melanie Lynskey delivers a brave performance - giddy, childish, frightening, sexual, clouded. She's everything Christina Ricci pretends to be. Kate Winslet is superb as Juliet - beautiful, hyper-bright and wonderful.

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Critic Reviews

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Lynskey and Winslet are extraordinary actresses. Full Review

David Rooney
February 11, 2008
David Rooney, Variety

Combines original vision, a drop-dead command of the medium and a successful marriage between a dazzling, kinetic techno-show and a complex, credible portrait of the out-of-control relationship betwee... Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
February 11, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Unlike the campy excess of Jackson's earlier Dead Alive, deliberate overkill ltimately points toward a dearth of ideas rather than a surfeit. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Stylish and eerily compelling before it overplays its campy excesses, Heavenly Creatures does have a feverish intensity to recommend it. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

1994 spellbinder.

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Revealed in unforgettable fashion by a capable director, the events that unfold in this film are not easily forgotten. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Jackson (who wrote the script with Frances Walsh) evokes the girlsâ(TM) fantasy world with scenes featuring plasticene figures, creating an eerie, metaphysical dimension to the movie. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Powerful, evocative movie. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
January 1, 2000
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

An unforgettable experience. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

What makes Jackson's film enthralling and frightening is the way it shows these two unhappy girls, creating an alternative world so safe and attractive they thought it was worth killing for. Full Review

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Heavenly Creatures Trivia

  • I've played in All the King's Men, Little Children, Enternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Finding Neverland and Heavenly Creatures. Who am I?   Answer »
  • in what movie did kate winslet kill someone with a brick  Answer »
  • I am a chubby New Zealand screenwriter and director of King Kong(2005), Heavenly Creatures (won Oscar), Lord of the Rings trilogy. My Return of the King had 11 Oscar nominations, and won many including best picture and director. I am ___  Answer »
  • I directed or produced all of the Lords of the Rings trilogy, Heavenly Creatures, The Frightners, and King Kong(2005)  Answer »
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