Heavenly Creatures - Film Review

In the film, Heavenly Creatures (1994) directed by Peter Jackson, set in Christchurch in the 1950s, is based on the true story of two girls, Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker and how their relationship transformed from an innocent bond of acceptance to murdering Pauline’s mother, a “crime that shocked a nation.” The productive techniques in this film, such as lighting, colour, music and camera techniques help to develop these two main characters, Juliet and Pauline. This development happens in the bath scenes, the ship scenes and scenes involving Borovnia and The Fourth World.

Set in the Christchurch in the 1950s’, Heavenly Creatures follows the journey to deception of Juliet, 15 and Pauline, 16. Both girls live in a very conformist society, where everything ‘good’ is English. In the bath scenes, we can see through lighting, colour and sound, the slow development of Pauline and Juliet becoming completely different people, killing one of their own mothers, on their journey to deception. In the first bath scene, it is set in natural light, white, clean, bright, porcelain which shows us the innocence of the girls at this time. Pauline is on the left, the “sinister side”, with Juliet facing the right. They are both still, with a voiceover of Pauline’s poem, “The Ones That I Worship.” The second bath scene is set in flickering candlelight; the tones are orange and red and the sound is ‘live’(diegetic), immediate and harsh. Pauline has just withdrawn from school, she is upset. “I think I’m going crazy.” Juliet is in control. “No, you’re not Gina. It’s everyone else who’s bonkers.” The third bath