Overview
A haunting tale of friendship that spirals into obsession and tragedy.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- dreamy
- intoxicating
- foreboding
- thought-provoking evening
- historical drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Peter Jackson's stylish direction, screenplay, and the debut performances of Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet for transforming a true-life murder into a captivating psychological drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Pauline and Juliet's invented realm is rendered onscreen with extravagant imagery alongside their ordinary Christchurch lives.
The girls' friendship intensifies into romantic and obsessive dependency as their families attempt to separate them.
The film pairs lyrical fantasy and candy-colored imagery with the real-life murder emerging from the girls' shared worldview.
1950s families and communities treat the girls' closeness as abnormal and seek to regulate their behavior and separation.
Films like Heavenly Creatures, and why
The Virgin Suicides
shared true-crime drama, intense female friendship, psychological obsession, and morally unsettling coming-of-age themes
Mysterious Skin
shared stylish treatment of adolescent alienation, forbidden intimacy, family pressure, and destructive obsession
Murderous Maids
shared psychologically charged female friendship, period social constraint, and an escalating crime rooted in emotional dependency
The Cement Garden
shared literary fantasy, subjective youthful imagination, and a dark collision between romantic fixation and real-world violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Release Date
- 1994-09-12
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (1066)
Cast
- Melanie Lynskey
- Kate Winslet
- Sarah Peirse
- Diana Kent
- Clive Merrison
- Simon O'Connor
- Jed Brophy
- Peter Elliott
- Gilbert Goldie
- Geoffrey Heath
Common questions
- What is Heavenly Creatures about?
- Two inseparable Christchurch schoolgirls retreat into a shared fantasy world whose romantic intensity collides with family control and a devastating real-life crime.
- What is Heavenly Creatures like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Heavenly Creatures as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Heavenly Creatures violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Heavenly Creatures as moderate.
- What did critics think of Heavenly Creatures?
- Critics broadly praised Peter Jackson's stylish direction, screenplay, and the debut performances of Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet for transforming a true-life murder into a captivating psychological drama.
- Which films are like Heavenly Creatures?
- Films with a similar feel include The Virgin Suicides, Mysterious Skin, Murderous Maids, and The Cement Garden.
- How long is Heavenly Creatures?
- Heavenly Creatures runs 109 minutes.
