(1994) 95% (0%) 5) http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=2&res=9804E5DD1231F935A25752C1A962958260 * * * * "See my profile for the key to this code" * * * * SYNOPSIS: "Heavenly Creatures" represented a departure of sorts for horror director Peter Jackson and was the first film to earn him widespread critical acclaim. Jackson both co-wrote and co-produced the picture, which is based on an actual 1954 murder case.The two protagonists, New Zealand schoolgirls Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet), first meet when Juliet is introduced to Pauline's class as a new student. Pauline, an introvert who feels misunderstood by her family and peers, is instantly smitten with the sophisticated and self-confident newcomer, and the girls become best friends. Eventually, Pauline and Juliet begin spending more and more time together, withdrawing into a magical land of their own invention--Borovnia, a fairy-tale kingdom populated by lifesize clay figures. The girls' distraught families fear that the friendship is becoming unhealthy, and Juliet's parents decide to end things by sending their daughter away. Faced with their impending separation, the girls decide nothing will tear them apart, leading to an unexpectedly grisly denouement made even more unnerving by the ignorance of their own delusion." CONSENSUS: "Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures" is chillingly unforgettable." MOTIVATION FOR ME TO SEE: Since Kate Winslet finally won her first Oscar this year (for the wrong movie, I think), I'm searching out her earlier works that I am less familiar with, starting with this, her screen debut. I think I saw this some time ago on TCM. BTW, as I picked up this ILL (interlibrary loan) DVD the other day, my friendly librarian told me that the real-life Juliet Hulme has written best-selling murder mysteries for years under the pseudonym Anne Perry.

posted Jun 1, 2009 at 2:36PM

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