Heaven (2002/I)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Tom Tykwer

Writers:

Krzysztof Kieslowski (trilogy "Heaven, Hell and Purgatory") and
Krzysztof Piesiewicz (trilogy "Heaven, Hell and Purgatory") ...

Release Date:

21 February 2002 (Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

What Would You Risk For Love?

Plot:

A woman takes the law into her own hands after police ignore her pleas to arrest the man responsible for her husband's death, and finds herself not only under arrest for murder but falling in love with an officer.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Bomb | Police | Death | Justice

Awards:

6 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Cate Blanchett	...	Philippa
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Filippo
Remo Girone	...	Filippo's Father
Stefania Rocca	...	Regina
Alessandro Sperduti	...	Ariel
Mattia Sbragia	...	Major Pini
Stefano Santospago	...	Mr. Vendice
Alberto Di Stasio	...	The Prosecutor
Giovanni Vettorazzo	...	The Inspector
Gianfranco Barra	...	The Lieutenant
Vincent Riotta	...	Chief Guard
Mauro Marino	...	Doctor
Stefania Orsola Garello	...	Vendice's Secretary
Fausto Lombardi	...	Father High Rise
Giorgia Coppa	...	Older Daughter

Also Known As:

Heaven (France) (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

Germany | Italy | USA | France | UK

Language:

Italian | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Malaysia:18SX (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bottrop, North Rhine - Westphalia, Germany

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

The first of a planned trilogy Krzysztof Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz wrote before Kieslowski's death: Heaven, Hell and Purgatory.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Crewmembers are briefly reflected in the front of a train as we see the main characters walk away from the train. Specifically, look for a man in a red tee-shirt.

Quotes:

Philippa: I don't want to escape punishment. I've killed four innocent people and I want to answer for that, but before I do, I want to kill him.

Movie Connections:

References Jurassic Park (1993)

Soundtrack:

Interrogation / Finale

Absolutely Gorgeous

This is an unusual film, start to finish, particularly finish. Why? Because......

It's a suspense film but not all that suspenseful, especially in light of today's bloody action scenes.

It has an ending that is not really an ending.

It's not listed (or categorized at rental stores) as a "foreign film" but much of the movie is spoken in Italian.

In other words, this is hard to label. Throw in an odd romance, some spectacular Tuscan scenery (actually wonderful cinematography all the way through), a slow-moving but involving storyline and one of this generation's most-interesting actresses (Cate Blanchett) and you have a film worth investigating.

A word of warning, especially to younger people: this film might be too slow for what you are used to seeing. If you want action, skip this. This film is more for people into visuals and a different story. Subtitles also turn off a lot of people, and you need them here.

As someone who just loves great visuals, this is an astonishing piece of work - just magnificent to view. I also appreciated the director's "sky cam" with some wonderful aerial shots.

The "R" rating comes from a very, very brief sex scene, which doesn't involve the major characters. There is almost no profanity in here. A strange film to label but it sure is a visual treat. I liked it even more on the second viewing