Is The Movie Heavenly Creatures Based On A True Story? Heavenly Creatures Ending Explained
by Ushapriyanga | Updated Feb 22, 2023
Heavenly Creatures Wiki
This is a 1994 New Zealand film directed by Peter Jackson and co-written by Fran Walsh. The movie is a biographical psychological drama that tells the story of two teenage girls, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, and their relationship that leads to the murder of Parker's mother. The film was praised by critics for its performances, directing, and screenplay and even received an Oscar nomination. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Jim Booth decided to make a film about the notorious Parker-Hulme murder but chose to focus on the girls' friendship rather than the murder and trial. Walsh had been interested in the case since she was a child and was drawn to the unique friendship that existed between the two girls. Jackson and Walsh researched the story extensively by reading contemporary newspaper accounts but found that the sensational aspects of the case did not accurately reflect the story they wanted to tell. They sought out people who had close involvement with Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, including former classmates, teachers, neighbors, and professionals, and also read Pauline's diary, from which they learned that the girls were intelligent, imaginative, outcast young women with a wicked sense of humor. In the film, Pauline's voice-overs are excerpts from her journal entries. The filmmakers wanted to portray a more humane version of events and honor the friendship that went terribly wrong.
Is The Movie Heavenly Creatures Based On A True Story?
This section discusses the true story that inspired the movie "Heavenly Creatures." The murder case of Honora Parker is considered one of the most shocking and notorious in New Zealand's history. The article notes that the film was shot on location at various places in Christchurch, where the events took place, and used excerpts from Parker's diary to lend authenticity. However, the article argues that the film doesn't fully explain the girls' motivations for the murder and how it may have been influenced by their shared fantasy world. Expert witnesses at the trial tried to explain their relationship and whether they were insane or had a homosexual relationship.
Prior to the release of his film "Heavenly Creatures" in 1994, Peter Jackson was not well-known outside of New Zealand and the 1954 murder case that inspired the movie had largely fallen out of the public eye. The perpetrators of the crime, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, had bludgeoned Pauline's mother to death with a brick, supposedly because they believed she wanted to separate them. Jackson's collaborator Fran Walsh, who had been fascinated by the case since childhood, encouraged him to create a film based on it. Rather than focusing on the murder itself, the filmmakers chose to explore the girls' intense, delusion-filled friendship, a decision that ultimately paid off with critical acclaim and numerous awards, including a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination. The success of the film also marked a shift in Jackson's career from a horror-comedy director to a more serious filmmaker.
Heavenly Creatures Ending Explained
The movie "Heavenly Creatures" portrays a girl named Juliet who catches her mother having an affair with one of her psychiatric clients. When her parents decide to divorce and move away, Juliet becomes upset and plans to run away with her best friend, Pauline. They talk about killing Pauline's mother, whom they see as a primary obstacle to their being together. As Juliet's departure nears, the girls finalize their plans and murder Pauline's mother during a trip to Victoria Park. They were arrested and sentenced to five years in prison, released separately in 1959, and never allowed to see each other again.
Heavenly Creatures Review
"Heavenly Creatures" is a film based on a true story about two teenage girls named Pauline and Juliet in 1950s Christchurch, New Zealand. The movie depicts their intense and controversial friendship, which became more complicated when their parents tried to keep them apart. The girls wrote letters to each other as fantasy characters and shared visions of a "4th World" where romance and happiness reigned. The film uses fantasy and color to explore the complex emotional lives of the two main characters. The chemistry between the actors portraying Pauline and Juliet is convincing and helps carry the film through slower moments. The story is not easily forgotten and offers no facile answers as to what could have been done to prevent the tragic events that unfold.
Is The Movie Heavenly Creatures Based On A True Story - FAQs
"Heavenly Creatures" is a movie based on the true story of the murder of Honora Parker in 1954 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The movie follows the intense and seemingly unhealthy friendship between two teenage girls, Pauline Rieper and Juliet Hulme, and ultimately culminates in the murder of Pauline's mother.
At the end of the movie, Pauline and Juliet bludgeon Pauline's mother, Honora, to death with a brick in a park. They are both arrested and sentenced to serve five years in prison. As a condition of their release, they are never allowed to see each other again.
Pauline and Juliet saw Honora as the primary obstacle to their being together. As the movie depicts, they were very close and had developed an intense fantasy life together. They believed that if they killed Honora, they would be able to remain together without interference from her.
As stated in a post-script at the end of the movie, Pauline and Juliet were both sentenced to five years in prison. They were released separately in 1959 and were never allowed to see each other again.