Heaven (2002)

A woman takes the law into her own hands after police ignore her pleas to arrest the man responsible for her husband's death, and finds herself not only under arrest for murder but falling in love with an officer.

Director:

Tom Tykwer

Writers:

Krzysztof Kieslowski (trilogy "Heaven, Hell and Purgatory"), Krzysztof Piesiewicz (trilogy "Heaven, Hell and Purgatory")

Stars:

Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Remo Girone

6 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cate Blanchett	...	Philippa
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Filippo
Remo Girone	...	Filippo's Father
Stefania Rocca	...	Regina
Alessandro Sperduti	...	Ariel
Mattia Sbragia	...	Major Pini
Stefano Santospago	...	Mr. Vendice
Alberto Di Stasio	...	The Prosecutor
Giovanni Vettorazzo	...	The Inspector
Gianfranco Barra	...	The Lieutenant
Vincent Riotta	...	Chief Guard
Mauro Marino	...	Doctor
Stefania Orsola Garello	...	Vendice's Secretary
Fausto Lombardi	...	Father High Rise
Giorgia Coppa	...	Older Daughter

Storyline

Love, retribution and redemption. Devastated by her husband's death from a drug overdose, Philippa, a British teacher living in Turin, Italy, tries to bring justice to the biggest drug dealer in Turin when the local police ignore her information about him. In building a home-made bomb and setting off a plan that fails miserably, her status changes from young widow to that of a criminal in custody. Young police officer Filipo descends into Philippa's life, changing her bleak outlook on existence into one in search of tranquility among corruption, as they become unlikely soul mates and lovers.

---

Plot Keywords:

love | death | bomb | police | justice | 

---

Taglines:

When you take justice into your own hands, what are the consequences?

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a scene of sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States]

Country:

UK France Italy Germany USA

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

21 February 2002 (Germany)

Also Known As:

En el cielo

Filming Locations:

Bottrop, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$51,909, 6 October 2002

Gross USA:

$784,399

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,247,089

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, X-Filme Creative Pool, Mirage Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first of a planned trilogy Krzysztof Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz wrote before Kieslowski's death: Heaven, Hell and Purgatory.

---

Goofs

Crewmembers are briefly reflected in the front of a train as we see the main characters walk away from the train. Specifically, look for a man in a red tee-shirt.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Helicopter Pilot: [in Italian supervising simulation] Follow the terrain. Good. Keep it perpendicular to the ridge. That's it. Under real conditions you might have to compensate for the wind here. Now, maintain you height. Watch your height, careful.
[climbing higher simulator switches off]
Helicopter Pilot: In a real helicopter you can't just keep flying higher.
Filippo: How high can I fly?

---

Connections

References Jurassic Park (1993)

---

Soundtracks

Für Alina
Composed by Arvo Pärt
Performed by Alexander Malter (piano)
Produced by Manfred Eicher
ECM New Series
Courtesy of Universal Edition, Vienna

User Reviews

How high can you go?

Some movies use non-stop action to get your adrenaline pumping; others, like this one are more subtle. They use outstanding cinematography and beautiful music combined with great acting to gently wrap around you and captivate you.

Krzysztof Kieslowski's and Krzysztof Piesiewicz's script, along with Tom Tykwer's (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) direction formed a beautiful shell for Cate Blanchette's (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I'm Not There, The Aviator) magic as a woman who killed four people by mistake and wanted to pay for her crime.

Giovanni Ribisi (Saving Private Ryan, The Boiler Room) was quietly understated as the police officer who fell in love with her.

Frank Griebe's camera work was impressive, and the music was wonderful, some of it performed by Tom Tykwer, the director.