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Heaven

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What is heaven? More importantly, how do we, as imperfect people, transcend our daily limitations and transgressions to reach heaven - be it here on Earth or elsewhere? The master Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski, who wrote the screenplay for "Heaven" shortly before his death in 1996, uses the film's story and dialogue as a final opportunity to expand the core humanist philosophy that underlies nearly all of his films ("Decalogue", "Trois Couleurs", "Double Life of Veronique".)

Philippa, played by Cate Blanchett, is a widowed English teacher living in Turin. Disillusioned from the mounting death toll that drug abuse has claimed on several of her young students and her recently deceased husband, Phillippa executes a desperate plan to kill Turin's drug kingpin, Vendice, by deposting a bomb in his office trashbin. When the bomb is unknowingly intercepted by a cleaning woman on her daily rounds and taken to an elevator transporting a father and his two daughters, Philippa's plan goes horribly wrong. She has unwittingly killed 4 innocent people. Philippa is arrested and interrogated by the Turin police, who accuse her of politically motivated terrorism as a way of masking their professional involvement with Vendice, the kingpin. Philippa readily acknowledges her guilt, only to have a complete breakdown upon learning of the innocent bystanders who lost their lives in her vengeful plot. Her interpreter during the interrogation, handsome Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi), is moved by Philippa's story, quickly falls in love with her, and ultimately hatches a plan to help her escape from the carabinieri, who see her as a problem to be "eliminated", because of her knowledge of Vendice's operations. Philippa herself is less concerned with escape than with killing Vendice, once and for all.

Once Philippa and Filippo do escape into the Tuscan countryside (in a very deftly directed and edited sequence), you know that justice will eventually extract its due punishment. And while the last third of the movie quietly builds on this sense of dread, "Heaven" is no "Bonnie and Clyde" or "Thelma and Louise"; Kieslowski is more concerned with Philippa's redemption and transcendence; and so the final scenes employ a sublime poetic imagery (and a meditative pace) to reveal Phillippa's transformation. In a Tuscan church, not 20 feet from a confessional booth, Phillippa recounts for Filippo her many transgressions and failings, then reveals why: "I've lost any belief - in justice, in sense, in life." Filippo's response? "I love you." Later, in a clandestine meeting between the pair and Filippo's father, Philippa acknowledges that, despite all her cynicism and failings, she does indeed love Filippo. Director Tom Twyker perfectly captures, in this scene, the innocence and renewal at the core of Phillippa's declaration - as close to a marriage vow as the couple will get. By this time, Philippa and Filippo have assumed a hypnotic Adam and Eve persona, shaving their heads and dressing alike, and finally disrobing at sunset on the Tuscan hills to consummate their love. (Several moviegoers in my theatre gasped at the striking beauty and imagery of the scene).

When the carabinieri finally close in on them, Kieslowski suggests that the physical aspect of their fate (whether they are captured and killed) is less important than their spiritual fate (their complete redemption and transcendence). But Kieslowski and Twyker balance the competing demands for physical and spiritual resolution by leaving us with a stunning closing scene that implies both. (Some critics didn't understand this, but oh well.)

And so Kieslowski reiterates his core philosophy: That chance and fate are often better instruments of justice than mankind itself, that goodness and evil exist in each of us, and that even the most flawed among us can achieve transcendence, through contrition and love for one another. In a world of escalating terrorism and global wars, the ever-prescient Kieslowski is already sorely missed.

In his first English language film, "Heaven", German director Tom Tykwer abandons his earlier displays visual pyrotechnics, fast cut editing, and adrenaline laced pacing, to present us with heart felt meditation on the nature of unconditional love. This may disappoint some fans of his brilliant trilogy of films ("Night Sleepers", "Run Lola Run" and "Princess and the Warrior") which explored the themes of syncronicity, metaphysics and causality. It is the blissful performance of the cameleon-like actress Cate Blanchett that allows Tykwer the space to breathe and expand his artistic vision.

"Heaven" begins as a thriller involving a woman obsessed with avenging the death of her husband, but quickly shifts gears and becomes an exploration of love between doomed outsiders, another favorite Tykwer theme. Tykwer shot the film in Italy and it is technically a bi-lingual film, because much of the dialogue is in Italian. Giovanni Ribisi, whose career has alternated between lackluster and compelling acting efforts, presents a starkly well crafted perfomance of an Italian policeman who becomes obsessed with Cate Blanchett's school teacher character. The langorous pacing of "Heaven" allows us linger on the voluptuous camera work of Frank Griebe, Tykwer's brilliant cinematographer. Griebe's sensual, impressionistic lens has become the trademark of a Tykwer film.

In his last film, "The Princess and the Warrior", Tywker gave ample notice that he was maturing as a director, and was becoming more concerned with character development over technical gimmickery. Many of Tykwer's younger devotees may point out logical flaws in the script or find the film's more tender moments absurd. "Heaven" is about the frailty of the human psyche and, for Tykwer, it is the triumph of substance over style.

This is one of the most beautiful films I have seen in a long time. The director knows how to create magic moments, and the slow tempo of the film allows the viewer to reflect upon not only the intrigue, but also the visual pictures. If you like films where something happens all the time, this is not a film for you. Instead, the film is almost floating forward in a way that makes you think about not so much what happens, but the deeper issues that are embedded in the film.

Human beings are not good or bad, and there is no such thing as a black and white world. Instead, the nuances matter. Being human is to make mistakes, sometimes. The director does not spell out any answers to the questions that the film poses, rather, provides one perspective on how they could be viewed, but is not trying to convince the viewer that this is THE truth.

What is true love? What would we do to keep it, once we find it? Is this what it is like to find a true soulmate? What is wrong and right if we seek redemption, but are dragged down by a lust for justice? The quietly beautiful "Heaven" will leave those thoughts in your head as you watch it.

In Italy, young schoolteacher Phillipa Paccard (Cate Blanchett) sneaks into drug kingpin Vendice's office and plants a bomb in his trash, little knowing that the trash is about to be collected by the cleaning lady. The resulting explosion kills the lady, a father and his two children. When Phillipa is arrested and told this, she is aghast. She only intended to kill the kingpin, because his distribution of drugs has been killing her pupils, and killed her husband. She has asked the cabinieri to help, but no one has answered. So she took justice into her own hands.

A young Italian cabinieri, Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi), serves as a translator for Phillipa, and he is struck by her self-recrimination and sorrow. When her evidence is destroyed by a spy in the police, Philipo creates an elaborate escape plan, then helps her kill Vendice. From there, they escape into Tuscany, where their bond grows deeper. The soul mates live in what seems like a paradise, shaving their heads and wearing identical clothes. But Tuscany is not heaven, and they are still not safe.

Tom Tykwer gave the film its focus (lovers in jeopardy) and unearthly direction, but Krzysztof Kieslowski provided the heart and soul of it. In that sense, it is wholly his movie. Themes of guilt and redemption, love and salvation, punishment and forgiveness run deep in "Heaven." Symbolism clings to it like ivy (the white shirts, the bright lights), and there are definite religious tones to it -- Phillipa's confession to Filipo in a church, the wistful watching of a wedding, and the ascension into the skies -- not the triumph of law, but the triumph of love and forgiveness.

The handling of Phillipa and Filippo is exquisite, such as the scenes where they shave their heads and wear identical clothes, run and walk in unison. He was born on the day of her first communion, and their names are male and female versions of each other's, yin and yang. Not exactly subtle, but convincing. The direction is otherworldly, even in scenes like Phillipa shooting Vendice. In the latter half of the film, this dreaminess pervades everything -- the trees, sky, ruined stone churches and the tiny running figures.

The main problems, it seems, would be the ocasional clash between Tykwer and the late Kieslowski's style. Some parts are more Tykwer, some are more Kieslowski, so it seems sometimes that the focus is less on the storyline and more on the lovers (which is more Tykwer). Additionally, when the lovers arrive in Tuscany the tone changes to a less hard-edged, more romantic one. Some viewers may find this disconcerting, but I found it a natural progression as the two grew closer and sought some kind of haven, even if Phillipa doesn't want to go unpunished.

Cate Blanchett is in amazing form here, expressing grief, love, pride, and anger with only a slight change of expression. Giovanni Ribisi is almost as good; he's a little stiff in the beginning, but loosens up and becomes fully believable as a very young man who is very deeply in love. Remo Girone appears in only a few scenes as Filipo's dad, but is heartbreakingly good.

With the best of Tykwer and Kieslowski carefully woven together, "Heaven" is a quietly passionate, deeply romantic movie. An amazing, heartbreaking movie, and not one to be missed.

HEAVEN is another of those films that came and went in the theaters without much notice. Perhaps it is because the dialogue of the film is predominantly in Italian and the film was not advertised as an art/foreign film. No matter. Now that the DVD is available this little treasure is better savored in the intimacy of the home than the huge theater.

Whenever actors of the substance of Cate Blanchette and Giovanni Ribisi pledge their support to a script, the viewer can rest assured that the script is a fine one. This script (Krzsztof Kieslowski) is no exception. The direction (Tom Tykwer) is sensitive, tender, human, and maintains tension while inserting gentle reprieves of interpersonal moments. Using a fascinting opening sequence of a simulated helicopter flight (for Ribisi, a young policeman) Tykwer suggests that the warning given Ribisi that he is not to fly to high or he will just reach heaven sets the tenor for this film. Blanchette (Philippa - and Enlish teacher in Turin, Italy) is a driven woman, plotting a bomb to destroy an Italian businessman/drug king because her warnings to the police have resulted in nothing. Her bomb is mistakenly misplaced by a cleaning woman and results in the death of four innocent people. When arrested, Blanchette discovers the fumble and is devastated. At this point she decides to give testimony only in her native language of English (all dialogue is Italian up to now) and the young Ribisi happens to be bilingual and serves as her translator. He slowly comes out of his shy shell as a person and falls in love with Blanchette, helping her escape and eventually flies away with her in a helicopter that ascends and ascends........ Along the way we meet all manner of Italians, each treated as a supporting character of importance. The story is simple but opens doors to universal truths and shouts strongly for the importance of faith and belief in interpersonal relationships. This little movie is a joy.

With Heaven, director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) directs the final script of Polish writer-director Krzyzstof Kieslowski and comes up with a combination of their contrasting styles that somehow manage to work well together.

Cate Blanchett stars as Phillipa Paccard, an English amateur terrorist living in Italy whose one attempt at assassination goes horribly wrong. She meant to kill the local drug kingpin with a bomb in his trashcan. He had been selling to school kids and was responsible for the death of her husband. Instead she inadvertently became responsible for the deaths of four innocents--a cleaning woman (who naively emptied the wastebasket) and a father and his two daughters--when the elevator they were riding in was blown off the building by the bomb.

Since she is already in trouble for the crime, she sets out to complete her original task. A local policeman, Fillipo (Giovanni Ribisi), who has a school-age brother, decides to risk his job and life in order to assist her in her attempt on the kingpin's life.

Kieslowski's screenplay uses the masculine and feminine counterparts of the name "Phillip," letting us know from the beginning (in cinema language) that these two are inextricably intertwined, two halves of the same whole. As the film progresses, they slowly take on each other's appearance in their styles of dress and hair.

Heaven is probably not a film for fans of Tykwer's frenetic Run Lola Run, as its slow--almost hypnotic--pacing contrasts greatly with Lola's. But for those willing to take the risk, Heaven is very rewarding. It is wonderful to see Blanchett and Ribisi together again after previously displaying their terrific chemistry in The Gift, another great film. Their performances alone are worth the viewing, but even so the setup at the beginning of the film pays off beautifully at the perfect, if inevitable, ending.

Cate Blanchett has shown her enormous talent in this film as Philippa, English teacher who is arrested for murder in Italy. In more than one sense, however, this is a difficult role, for she finds herself in a strange position -- she is loved by an Italian cadet at Carabinieri (The National Guard), Filippo (played by Giovanni Ribisi).

The film starts like a well-crafted crime thriller. Philippa sets an explosive device in an office, but her plan to kill the target misfires, killing innocent people. After being arrested as a terrorist, she learns it, and collapses.

One guy was watching it; a rookie guard Filippa. Helping her, he falls in love with her, and decides to save her no matter what it takes. But you will learn soon, like these two characters -- save from what?

The first half of "Heaven" is just rivetting, tightly constructed with skillful editing. The acting is always convincing, even while they speak in Italian (Ribisi's character is an Italain, a brave step, indeed), and the cold, artificial look of the city of Turin (northern Italain city) has a curious quality of beauty.

As other reviewers say, the second half is rather weak, being a little allegorical. Philippa and Filippo, it is suggested, know their fate, and are ready to accept it. The way the film describes it, however, is too slow and predictable for some viewers even though the film does not lose its beauty all through the story. Let me say only this; the latter half, set in the beautiful scenery of warm country of Tuscany, is slightly disappointing for all its beauty and thought-provoking finale.

It might be surprising to see director Tom Tykwer, famous for "Run Lola Run," can make this poetic film with measured pace. But he did it, it is true, and for those fans of Ms. Blanchett whose works should not be missed, it is another gift sent from "Heaven" ... literally.

The script has a unique history of its own; it is part of trilogy written by two men from Poland, late Krzysztof Kielowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, writers duo for director Kielowski's "Three Colors Trilogy" and "La Double vie de Veronique." After the death of Kielowski, the script is left, seeking for the right person to direct it. I wonder what is the original ending, if any, or what happened (if happened) to other two parts of the trilogy.

Heaven is a fantastic film filled with beautiful air shots and tear jerking suspense. This film is art at its best! I am quick to judge and though I try and find the best qualities of each movie I watch, Heaven needed no searching. A little known film, this movie is a must see for those that look for a little bit of heaven in the films they watch. Don't let the title fool you. This isn't a happy popcorn movie. Melancholy, subdued and quietly passionate. The mood of the film is what drives it to the end. And at the end you are left trying to find your way back into the world you entered from.

Heaven was a wonderful experience. Cate Blanchett is talented as well as beautiful and she carried the movie with grace. Giovanni Ribisi does a great job (my opinion is that he is one of the most under rated actors in the business). If you liked Run Lola Run and Princess and the Warrior you will love Heaven. The speed of the movie is similar to Princess and the Warrior and the relationship between the main characters carry similar characteristics. I am amazed at how the director can show his characters have so much passion,depth and charisma between each other without ever really touching. The ending is more like a begining(re-birth) which makes this philosophical film work.

I don't think I've ever been more pleasantly surprised than I was when I got done watching `Heaven'. This film is so much more complex than one may imagine walking in, and it is definitely a film that gradually unveils itself in ways you least expect as the minutes tick on by. It starts off marvelously and then continues at a steady yet seemingly expected pace (it doesn't really feel like anything more than an above average thriller) but as the final moments of the film come and go, we are left with this overwhelming feeling that we just witnessed something truly extraordinary.

This is the movie that gets better and better the more you think about it, so much so that the second time I saw this movie I was head over heals in love with it.

The film revolves around a schoolteacher who plants a bomb in the office of a drug dealer only to have that bomb miss its target and kill four innocent people. Deeply affected by her own guilt, Philippa knows she must pay for her crimes, but not before the guilty party is properly punished. Filippo (a remarkably moving Giovanni Ribisi) is a young policeman who is brought in to interpret for Philippa during her interigation with the Turin police. He is instantly enamored by Philippa, feeling for her soul, and thus he vows to help her escape and carry out her objective.

From there we move into one of the most impeccably crafted and emotionally taxing thrillers I've ever seen.

The ethereal beauty of this film is matched by the intense emotional structure that permeates the films core, creating a fully realized story that transcends genre. I have been a fan of Kieslowski's for some time now, and finding out that he was partially responsible for the script answers a lot of questions. Twyker's brilliant direction is a perfect compliment to the depth of the script, adding layers of organic beauty to the scenes, allowing the audience to soak in the films powerful message or heaven and earth (and heaven on earth).

And speaking of organic...

Cate Blanchett is an actress who is always memorable, an actress that possesses a quality that sets her apart. It is not wonder that she is considered one of the best of her generation, the next Meryl Streep as some have noted. I have always enjoyed her and felt her potential, but I was never one who felt she was AS good as so many have insisted. Then I saw this film, and her performance within it is one of the greatest I have ever seen, EVER. The way she simply folds into character is extraordinary. You feel her in ever scene completely dissecting her own emotional makeup. You believe every move, every quiver of her skin as she wraps her head around her own situation. It is a beautifully lived in performance that elevates the film because it is her performance that attaches itself to the emotional complexity of the script and affixes our attention on all that Kieslowski (and Twyker) are attempting to say.

She is simply amazing.

A film that is equal parts human and spiritual, `Heaven' creates a beautiful balance between the two; opening our eyes and allowing our souls to infiltrate those pearly gates in the most unexpected of ways.