Heaven

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<DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>                </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id361.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Great Web Sites</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Heaven</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="501" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="495"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="495" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> *** ½</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:leeshoquist@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:leeshoquist@aol.com"><U><B><U>Reviewed by Lee Shoquist</U></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> Cate Blanchett is easily the most versatile and talented actress of her generation, and though a few of us know that already, <I>Heaven</I> should cement her status further.  Working with acclaimed director Tom Tykwer (<I>Run, Lola Run</I>) and from a screenplay co-written by the late, great Krzysztof Kieslowski (<I>Red, White, Blue</I>), she delivers a commanding performance that is simultaneously tough and sensitive, emotionally open and also conservative.    </div> <bR> <div> Set in Turin, Italy, <I>Heaven</I> tells the story of a young English schoolteacher named Philippa Paccard, rebuffed by authorities for her numerous tips on a local drug dealer responsible for the death of her husband.  In the film's stunning opening sequence, she orchestrates a bombing that goes awry, killing innocent people.  Imprisoned for her actions and interrogated at length, she arouses the attentions of sympathetic guard Filipo (Giovanni Ribisi), who hatches a plan to help her escape.  Undercover, the two flee Turin for the lush Italian countryside, pursued by authorities and connected by destiny and fate.  </div> <bR> <div> Tykwer is a master at handling young women at the crossroads of life's choices and inescapable destiny, as he demonstrated so well in <I>Run, Lola Run</I> and to lesser success in <I>The Princess and the Warrior</I>.  But <I>Heaven</I>, as written by Kieslowski with a haunting, contemplative tone that emerges late in the film, replacing the Hitchcockian set-up, has a deeper and more abstract agenda than a simple police procedural and jail break.  </div> <bR> <div> Until the jailbreak, <I>Heaven</I> is a cleverly plotted, well-acted, claustrophobic thriller.  But there are some startling developments in the second half of the film in the relationship between the two leads, and there's a breathtaking moment when Philippa and Filipo, having shaven their heads, appear together for the first time, looking almost like skinhead twins.  This metaphor of them being connected, almost as two halves of one person, is expanded upon with their dual names, birthdays, appearances, etc.  It's a haunting and ultimately romantic film that culminates in a hilltop love scene of such exquisite long-shot beauty that it is transporting in its simplicity and naturalness.  There's also a scene of power when Filipo's politician father visits the lovers in hiding, and realizes he must let his son go to love, or possibly death.  </div> <bR> <div> In the final graceful moments of the film, when the usual showdown between the authorities and the lovers on the run comes to pass, the film, brainy as it is, is not content to settle for any easy resolution to the problems.  The film ends on a note of beauty that suggests an optimistic ending for the story.  If you watch the angle of the last shot carefully, you will notice the direction of travel and open-ended nature of the lovers' fate.  </div> <bR> <div> There are thoughtful questions in this film, not the least of which is, "Why can we never do anything at the most important moments?" Filipo indeed does just that, and sets in motion the love story, which catches us by surprise and is refreshingly free of cliché, serving as the focus of the film's second half.  It's well written and subtle, and never feels like a subplot.   What is surprising about <I>Heaven</I> is that it switches gears so smoothly and changes from a direct and effective police procedural, into a love story that builds with considerable power, giving us a great sense of destiny that has drawn these two opposite souls together.  </div> <bR> <div> One thing I did find provocative is that Phillipa makes it very clear early on that she wishes to atone for her guilt in the murder of innocent citizens.  But once she breaks from jail and begins to fall in love, she no longer seems interested in doing so.  On the contrary, the two do everything to avoid police apprehension.  I'm not sure if we're supposed to assume that they will eventually be caught and she will do so, or that she's been somehow transformed by love and wants a second chance at love and life.    </div> <bR> <div> The two performances are just brilliant, reminding us how unpredictable familiar actors can be when given the right materials.  Blanchett is astonishing, and in an early scene of revelation, she exhibits a deep regret that is just stunning and emotionally played.  The revelation is this film is a handsome and newly mature Ribisi, who up to now has done quality work in American films, but here takes on a quite different persona, speaking in Italian and layering his character first with mystery, then with unabashed romanticism and love.   </div> <bR> <div> They're an unlikely couple and <I>Heaven</I> is an unlikely and highly effective blend of police thriller, haunting love story and abstract visual poetry.  It's also one of the year's most special films.  </div> <bR> <div> 100 minutes</div> <div> Rated R</div> <div> Sensuality, violence and profanity   </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="621" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="617"><div> <B>Lee Shoquist © 2002</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> <A HREF="mailto:leeshoquist@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:leeshoquist@aol.com"><U><U>Leeshoquist.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>