Heaven

Although Heaven it ain’t, it is a great film.

Stuart loves Tykwer, he can’t get enough of him. How often have I heard from him, how he writes his music as well as the script and directing? Blah, blah, blah is all I heard, especially after he showed me The Princess and the Warrior (Der Krieger und die Kaiserin) which wasn’t really that good. I did love Run Lola Run (Lola rennt). So he was one for two. Make that two for three.

Heaven is a beautiful film. Starting with an act of violence incongruous with the title and my anticipation, and finishing with a dreamy farewell, this film is just lovely. An exploration of personal motivation and good vs evil, it’s been a long time since The Zero Effect. Cleverly dealt with, with an actor (Blanchett) who could truly show the emotions and frustrations of the lead character, without ever being preachy, this is a great film.

The actors, particularly Blanchett, are excellent. Cate brings an innocence to her performance, which, given her actions, makes her all the more starkly multi-layered. The only performance of real depth required, she carries the film on her shoulders like Atlas, and not once does it slip. Ribisi is also good, although he is asked to be silent and strong, which many of us could do as well. His character is a little odd, and his love for his woman develops quite precipitously. The remaining cast are unknown to me, but I’d mention particularly the man who plays Ribisi’s father. With his limited time he conveys his conflict admirably, and he has wonderfully expressive eyes.

This film also looks great. The cinematography, especially those using aerial shots from Italian cities (?Turin) is wonderful. Even the scenes which don’t feature centuries old buildings are shot well. I especially liked the silhouette-by-the-tree penultimate scene. Lovely.

Whilst this isn’t a perfect film, it is very enjoyable, and hints at the future of Tom Tykwer. I will now await his next installment more eagerly than I did this one.