Heavenly Creatures (1994)
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Two teenage girls develop an intense, shared fantasy world that leads to a tragic real-world crime.
The story
In 1952 Christchurch, Juliet Hulme, an affluent 13-year-old English girl, befriends Pauline Parker, a 14-year-old girl from a working-class family. Bonding over a shared history of severe childhood disease and isolating hospitalisations, they develop an intense friendship. Pauline admires Juliet's outspoken arrogance and beauty. Together, they create a fantasy kingdom called Borovnia and a vision of 'the Fourth World', a Heaven where music and art are celebrated. As their bond deepens, the girls' shared imagination begins to blur the lines between their internal fantasy and the reality of their lives in New Zealand.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1952 Christchurch, Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker form an intense bond based on shared trauma and a shared imagination. They create a fantasy kingdom called Borovnia and believe in a spiritual 'Fourth World'. As their friendship intensifies, they retreat into their shared fantasy to escape the pressures of reality, including Pauline's hostile relationship with her mother and Juliet's impending separation from her family. Their bond becomes increasingly radicalized, leading them to engage in violent fantasies about those who oppose them. In June 1954, the girls decide to murder Pauline's mother, Honora, whom they view as an obstacle to their union. They lure her to a path and bludgeon her to death with a piece of brick. A textual epilogue reveals they were arrested shortly after, sentenced to five years in prison, and released in 1959 on the condition they never see each other again.
- First release year
- 1994
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- New Zealand
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Peter Jackson
- Writers
- Frances Walsh · screenplay; Peter Jackson · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Melanie Lynskey · Pauline Parker; Kate Winslet · Juliet Hulme; Sarah Peirse · Honora; Diana Kent · Hilda Hulme; Clive Merrison · Dr. Henry Hulme; Simon O'Connor · Herbert Rieper
- Genres
- biographical; crime drama
- Themes
- friendship; escapism; identity
- Tone and mood
- dreamlike; tragic
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; true story; coming-of-age
- Source material / true-story basis
- Parker–Hulme murder case
- Reception
- The film received widespread critical acclaim and was praised for its direction, screenplay, and the performances of the lead actresses.
- Awards and nominations
- Best British Actress · Empire Awards · win
- Production trivia
- The film features a character named 'Orson Welles'.; The production involved creating over 70 full-sized latex costumes for the 'Borovnian' extras.; The film was shot entirely on location in Christchurch.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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