Cabba's ReviewsKate Winslett Is One Heavenly Creature
July 7th 2009 07:42
I watched Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures the other day. It starred a rather young Kate Winslet in her debut film at age 17. Freakishly though, she looked the same as she does now. Same expression on her face, her awkward smirk and her same smooth, ageless face. The film itself was a tremendous achievement by Jackson, having only a very limited budget and choice of actors but managing to create such a strong, tight film with spectacular performances from everyone involved. The film;s subject matter is such a strange one, that even if the film wasn't done well, the subject matter alone would have been enough to draw an audience in. Thankfully, the film itself was as daring and beautiful as the story....
Hmm...Maybe daring and beautiful aren't the right words to describe the premise... Here's a better outline:
The story is built on the foundations of Pauline Parker's words she wrote down in her childhood diary. Pauline and her best friend Juliet Hulme (played by Winslet) develop a very strong friendship that gradually turn into an intense relationship. The people around them become afraid of this unhealthy relationship and try to break the two friends apart. This leads to the plan of murder, or as Pauline believes, the only way that her and her best friend could remain together. Their relationship is mainly based on their shared fantasy world they create to escape from the mundane realities of the ordinary world.
Throughout this strange tale, Peter Jackson manages to combine humour, with absurdity and strangeness to recreate this personal tale inside the minds of the two friends. One of the things I found interesting was that this film was so different to Jackson's previous films like 'Bad Taste' and 'Braindead' but at the same time retained similar qualities to those preceding films. It had the same quirkiness and similar characterisation for some of its supporting characters and also had bizarre closeup/dutch tilt sequences filled with strange colours and texture. This overall gave the film a very otherworldly feel, which fit perfectly with the strange fantasies shared between the two protagonists.
Now, what drew me in the most was the fact that Jackson really gave the audience the option of either sympathising with the kids or siding with their concerned parents. I for one, felt very guilty during those moments when I felt it was actually necessary for the kids to had done what they did. But the way the film unfolds really allows you to look past the frowning, depressed faces of Pauline and to really understand why she was so attached to her best friend. The friendship as it evolves does almost reach a point of lesbianism, which is also touched on in the film, but in a way, it still felt innocent.
I felt very strange whilst watching this film. Most of the time, good things, but at times, I questioned how society would look upon two friends in the current world who were so close that it seemed unhealthy. I'm sure however, that if the two girls were in their 30s and had this close bond, the world would've turned a blind eye. What do you think the boundaries of a friendship entails? What classifies as an unhealthy relationship? I feel in this day and age where being different is such a rage with young people, that to be able to find that other someone who you really click with would make you want to spend every waking time with them just because of the hard work it takes to find someone so perfect. I do understand however, that what the girls ultimately decided to do was something beyond a normal person's capability, but in a way, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
Heavenly Creatures Trailer
I don't know...the film was so full of fantastical imagery and craziness that I felt that way even after the film finished. However crazy the film was, it was a splendid film!
I give this film 4.5 STARS out of 5
Peace out.
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