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.

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Plot Keywords:

love | death | bomb | police | justice | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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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

Cate Blanchett jumped at the chance of shaving off her hair for the film, finding the experience to be very liberating.

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Goofs

The train shown when Filippo and Philippa arrive in Tuscany is not compatible with the passenger car seen from the inside in earlier shots.

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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?

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Connections

References The Gift (2000)

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Soundtracks

6 Variationen zur Gesundung von Arinushka
Composed by Arvo Pärt
Performed by David Arden (piano)
Koch International
Courtesy of Universal Edition, Vienna

User Reviews

Slow tempo towards the sky

Is it possible to feel sympathy for a person who starts a film by killing four innocent people including two children? In a script partially created by Kieslowski, it is. In fact the main character, well played by Cate Blanchett, has good reasons for everything she does.

Even if the tempo is slow, you will probably not feel bored, even if you're not interested in discussing ethics. It's an exciting story, a touching love affair and you won't dislike the main character in the end. It's more complicated than that.