Heaven

So here we have a woman, Philipa Paccard (Cate `Fellowship of the Ring' Blanchett). She's out to kill a drugs lord, who indirectly caused her husband to die. She wants to blow him to bits, but her bomb ends up killing four innocents. Now she merely wants to finish her revenge. but imprisoned she'll need help. Enter young guard, Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi).

Hmm. you see once you've got the plot. the movie doesn't go anywhere. It's a thriller/revenge story. and then it tries to morph into a love story. It's aimless though, a headless chicken of a beast, crashing about the place and circling all around itself (thematically). Character's motivations shift without any real good reason given (Blanchett wants to own up for her crimes, and then does not. Why?) The characters are grand enough but the relationship between Ribisi and Blanchett is entirely unconvincing - it's portrayed more as a kid crush that Ribisi has. This is the movie's biggest flaw - it's not going anywhere and ends up crashing (perhaps the opening sequence is a meta commentary on how the plot drives itself into a nothing of a dead end). It's not like that it's boring, it's more you're left at the end going, `Well what was the point of all that?' That's not good.

Acting? Blanchett is an acquired taste - very subdued, much more sublime than a lot of other Hollywood faces. Here it suits her fine - she's a tired, defeated woman, with a small bit of steel still inside her. She does tend to drift through the movie a bit, as if not really sure how to grasp her character. Ribisi again is good, although a bit too fresh-faced to carry any real chemistry with his co-star. At least he gets to talk, for a large bit, in a language other than English.

So is there anything to redeem this? Yup - the photography. Mmm - tasty! Director Tom Tykwer has some utterly wonderful shots - check out the gorgeous train motion shot, or the simply stunning twilight embrace later on. There're also some superb aerial and isometric shots. It's great for setting the atmosphere and distracting you from the aimless, drifting plot. It's all accompanied by a simple but pleasing musical score - basic piano, but mood setting without being distracting. The movie is also not too long so it doesn't overstay its welcome (so you do not become too irritated with its lack of focus).

`Heaven' is, if nothing else, a breath of fresh air. It looks great, has a nice and sedate pace that is too often lacking in the flash/bang of the modern flick. The weak script means it cannot be anything ever great, but its worth a perusal if you fancy a change from the mundane. 6/10.

A gorgeous film, start to finish. Within ten minutes you'll know your in the hands of a real talent. By the middle you'll be hypnotized. It's ravishing and beautiful.

And yet it's not all soppy. The whole point of seeing this film isn't pretty pictures, but a slowly evolving story and relationship between two people caught in a hellish situation. That it's gorgeous, fascinating, and spell-like all in one is just part of the treat.

I've seen other posters here complain that the direction of this film isn't in the tradition of "Three Colors" or other of Krzysztof Kieslowski's work; as if, because the story is based on one of his ideas, the follow-through had to be some sort of homage. That strikes me as totally irrelevant. The idea came to other hands, who made a film according to their own lights. There's no need to compare what-might-have-beens. This is a beautiful, transcendent film. See it.

Quite a few people seem to think Tykwer's last 2 films (Heaven and The Princess and the Warrior) are pretentious, and I suppose I can see what they mean. Still, I have to disagree. I'll take Tykwer's abstract, philosophical, but admittedly flawed films over most of the over calculated, manipulative and cold stories that are so common.

I just have to respond to some of the comments that have been made about "Heaven."

"The central story of intrigue and suspense is completely supplanted." "Heaven" is *not* about intrigue or suspense. So that "central story" is not supplanted at all.



"An Overrated Movie With a Bad Screenplay and a Ridiculous End" You're taking the end literally? Well, of course you think it is ridiculous.



My point is, I can understand people not liking this film. It is definitely not for everyone. The problem is, many of the reasons given for not liking it show that the posters just aren't getting what the point of the film really is. I suggest some of them watch it again and let go of what they think should happen and judge it by what actually does happen.

Cate Blanchett is Philippa, an English teacher who plants a bomb in an office. She wants to kill the boss there because he is a drugdealer and because his fault children died. The boss is not killed, four innocent people are, including two children. In jail she is interrogated and a translater named Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi) falls in love with her and helps her. I will not reveal with what exactly or how he helps her but the woman will have the chance to pay her dues on her own way.

The story set in Italy (Blanchett and Ribisi speak perfectly Italian in the movie) is a beautiful, tragic and intelligent one. The cinematography is great. Together with the music the film takes it time and doesn't rush things. It makes the movie, with a lot of symbolism, even more beautiful. Very interesting, written by the late Krzysztof Kieslowky (writer/director of Dekalog and Trois Couleurs) and Krzysztof Piesiewicz and directed by Tom Tykwer (director of Lola Rennt). Ribisi is very good and Blanchett is great.

'Heaven' is a wonderfully subtle film, full of refined camera work and scarce in dialogue. It stands as a good representation for the 'X Filme' project that Tom Tykwer co-heads, which aims to create films both new and thought-provoking as well as successful in their theater runs.

At roughly an hour and a half, 'Heaven' is a cinematic triumph that nudges open the gates to the philosophy and psychology of the lone man or woman along with those of society on the whole. It takes place in Italy, but Tykwer himself stated in an interview that really it could have been shot in any number of places with the message remaining the same. 'Heaven' is a thinly-scripted, in-depth commentary on issues prevailing throughout the modern world. Drugs, sex, sexuality, identity and the fibres that make up humans as a race are what this film revolves around: it is not a film for tourists or spectators. The excellent performances of Giovanni Ribisi and Cate Blanchett (apart and together) should only be missed if you are mainly looking for external adventure and action. Though it shares its part in weapons, scheme and drama, 'Heaven' is not blockbuster material: it is art material.