Vintage Pick: “Heavenly Creatures”

Before “Lord of the Rings” Peter Jackson wrote and directed a film based on the true story of an innocent friendship turned murderous. Introducing Kate Winslet in her first feature film “Heavenly Creatures” takes place in New Zealand during 1953 when Pauline Parker (Melanie Lynskey) and Juliet Hulme (Winslet) murdered Parker’s mother (Sarah Peirse).

Both ignored by their classmates and eccentric in their own ways, Pauline and Juliet find solace in each other’s company, writing adventures, sculpting and creating their

own religion. When their friendship takes a romantic turn Parker and Hulme’s parents are bent on keeping them apart, an idea the girls aren’t too keen on.

Using actual dialogue from Pauline’s diaries kept during the years leading up to the murder, Jackson tells the story of two girls losing their sanity, their tragic love and the disintegration of their families. Jackson’s overt use of dutch angles – non-straight shots – masterfully captures the girls’ unstable mentality as Winslet and Lynskey weave in and out of reality and fantasy. Hand-held camera shots add a frantic sense of being to the film, only furthering the understanding of the emotional instability the girls are feeling.

But what Jackson does to set this film apart, what he does that really makes it feel like we are in the heads of these two murderers is his use of overly dramatic lighting and music. Just like every teenager, every tiny thing is a huge deal in Juliet and Pauline’s minds – this is reflected by Jackson’s use of bright pinks when the girls are happy and deep, depressing blues when they are in despair all accompanied by dramatic opera music performed by Mario Lanza.

By taking us into Pauline and Juliet’s world we are able to feel what they feel, see what they saw and understand what their thought process was, what it was that drove them to murder.

Why Jackson was able to get into the heads of murderous teenagers so well is far beyond me but thank goodness he did. “Heavenly Creatures” is a film that not only makes you terrified of the protagonists but also feel for them in a way that one wouldn’t expect to feel about actual, real-life murderers, creating a one-of-a-kind movie experience.