Heaven
2002
Written by late Polish director Krysztof Kieslowski and Krysztof Piesiewicz (the team that made the trilogy BLUE, WHITE, and RED) and directed by German master Tom Tykwer (RUN LOLA RUN), HEAVEN is the first part of a trilogy. Cate Blanchett is Philippa, a strong-willed English woman who teaches in Turin, Italy. At school she .. Read more
| Starring | Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi |
|---|---|
| Director | Tom Tykwer |
| Genres | Drama, Thriller |
loading...
Heaven
Written by late Polish director Krysztof Kieslowski and Krysztof Piesiewicz (the team that made the trilogy BLUE, WHITE, and RED) and directed by German master Tom Tykwer (RUN LOLA RUN), HEAVEN is the first part of a trilogy. Cate Blanchett is Philippa, a strong-willed English woman who teaches in Turin, Italy. At school she witnesses young students torn apart by drug addictions, poverty, and family struggles. Her husband, similarly, died of a drug overdose. She takes the law into her own hands when she decides to go after a major drug czar. But when her plan goes terribly wrong, and she's taken into custody and accused of being an international terrorist, she finds herself in a hell she never imagined. Her only hope is Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi), a young cop and translator who wants to help her.
Tykwer delivers a visually stunning film with HEAVEN, using aerial photography, 360-degree pans, and gorgeous wide-angle shots to deliver a dreamlike otherworldly feeling. The chemistry between Philippa and Filippo resonates through to the end of the film, while the smartly suspenseful story keeps viewers guessing about the fate of this destined duo. An understated piano score completes the prolonged feeling of tension, intrigue, and ultimate escape, making HEAVEN an impressively successful merger of Kieslowski's eerily effective writing and Tykwer's stylish directing.
| Starring | Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi |
|---|---|
| Director | Tom Tykwer |
| Studio | WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 26 May 2003 Production year: 2002 |
| Format | DVD |
-
Critics' reviews
View all -
Co-scripted by the late Krzysztof Kieslowski as part of a projected “Heaven, Hell and Purgatory” trilogy, German director Tom Tykwer's English-language debut — after the international success of Run Lola Run — falls between mainstream thriller and art house character study, without ever fully exploring either his or Kieslowski's preferred themes. Moreover, there's little sense of connection between Cate Blanchett's accidental terrorist and Giovanni Ribisi's Italian cop, who helps her escape when a plan to blow up a drug-dealing tycoon backfires. Blanchett is excellent as the widowed English teacher, stripped of reason by her need for revenge. But without Kieslowski's customary psycho-spirituality, the conclusion is particularly unpersuasive and exposes Tykwer's discomfort with cerebral rather than visceral material.
-
Most helpful member's review
View all -
16 out of 16 people found this review helpful
Unique, beautiful and captivating.
A superbly refreshing and beautiful love story. The acting throughout is exceptional, Blanchett and Ribisi's performance and credibility were moving and sublime. Exceptional cinematography and a refreshingly creative storyline full of surprising developments and exciting unpredictable twists. I found a curious similarity between the two main characters relationship in 'The Gift' which was quite eerie,in which Ribisi acts as 'savior' to Blanchett under different circumstances.
If you enjoy a well made film, with stunning scenery, moving and captivating performances and a damn good story then you'll love this one...I can't wait for the sequel. -
Most recent members' review
View all -
10 out of 13 people found this review helpful
Heaven is part of the cinema of the sublime. It's important to note that this was to be the first
of the exceptional director Krystof Kieslowski's follow-up trilogy (Heaven, Hell, and
Purgatory) to the amazing Three Colours trilogy (Blue, White, Red). This is cinema of
transformation, one step before magic realism but with a mysticism one step beyond reality.
Ribisi and Blanchett are excellent, both brilliantly underplayed. Twyker does a great job
filling in for the deceased Kieslowski, enough for us to glimpse occasionally how fantastic
this would have been in the hands of the master. Still, the film is different enough to the
usual formulae to be more than a significant curiosity. -
News and features
View all
The International
- 23 Feb 2009
Clive Owen and Naomi Watts get heavy on rogue banks. It’s a lot sexier than Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling, especially as Clive’s brand of punishment means jail terms and broken noses, not bail-outs and bonus caps. The International is hardly the first film to make arrogant capitalists the heavies, but the timing could hardly be better. (At the Berlin Film Festival recently Watts joked the global recession was a publicity stunt.) In fact Tom Tykwer’s thriller is inspired... Read more
-
More like this
View allShowing 1 to 4 of 20
Related user collection
The Best and Worst. (73)
65% from 2 members
