I think this movie is fantastic, much like Juliet's drawing๐ but I kinda feel uncomfortable about enjoying it because it's based on such a harrowing true life story; I dunno, I feel I must be a bit ghoulish or something? I mean, it's not like I'm cheering them on as they kill Honora or anything, I just enjoy the acting(especially the amazing Melanie Lynskey) and cinematography, but all the same. . .
shareI don't feel bad for it is a cinematic masterpiece and meant to be viewed. It is respectful to Honora and her story deserved to be told. It is only a brief (yet I agree harrowing), scene but I don't feel it exploits in any way.
Has anyone seen my wife? - Columbo
Thanks for this๐. You're right that it's handled in a respectful way. I think I was just influenced by peoples reactions on being told it's one of my favourite movies! But they would have to see it to understand.
shareBless you, don't worry about liking it so much and what other's make of that fact (especially if they haven't seen it), because one of my most sensitive and intelligent friends rates this among her top five favourites as do I! It isn't just about the outcome but how it was directed artistically. It must have been some feat to bring the fantasy world of the two girls to the screen so effectively. I think they handled it just right but of course the ending had to be very harrowing by complete contrast because you can't really simplify the true horror of what happened to Honora. But I don't feel it was glamourised nor exaggerated. Kudos to the actress playing Honora because I think the worst part of that whole climax was not so much the act (as brutal as that really was), but the way the actress reached out her hand whilst clutching her head and pleaded for help. That cry she let out will haunt me forever and it gets no less difficult to view each time I do watch it. It sennds genuine shivers through my entire body!
Has anyone seen my wife? - Columbo
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Thanks, you're absolutely right ๐ Think I was just reacting to a situation where I said it was one of my favourites and explained the plot and everyone was like' Riiiight....well that sounds morbid' so I felt I must seem really weird. I'm a pretty shy person but I ought to have the courage of my convictions!
shareYou can't feel bad for liking this almost flawless film, that deals with a difficult and disturbing subject matter, that was skillfully brought to the screen. It was the brilliant direction and a careful script, that made it palatable and had me stunned. Well Honora was anyway and in more ways than one, that's for sure.
shareI see what you did there . . .๐
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I completely agree with you! I have to mute the TV when that part comes on.
shareDon't feel bad, this is a beautifully made film with a compelling story. It's been my fav. film since I was about 21 or so.
sharethat's about my age now! it's an amazing film isn't it? the first time I watched it I just spent the next few days watching it again- well not to the exclusion of all other activities, you know what I mean! anyway I've seen it a ridiculous amount of times by now and it never gets old.๐
shareIt's such a good movie, really draws you in. I would watch it daily over a span of a week at times.
shareThe first few times I watched it, I had no idea it was a Peter Jackson movie. It's SO different from everything else he's done. Except the directing and camera work. Right from Bad Taste he had a clear directing style that's followed him. Rewatching this last night, all his crazy shot choices jumped out at me. He uses the camera and movement like very few other directors.
The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/
I also liked Lynne's remake of"Lolita" and that is tantamount to paedophilia but its cinematography is remarkable and the movie has a HUGE female fan base which might be considered rather odd haha!
"These days you have to boil someone before you can sleep with them"
Do you also feel bad for liking Pan's Labrynth? Since it's about a really dark and horrible period in Spain's recent history?
No. The answer is you don't need to feel bad about liking a well made film.
The new home of Welcome to Planet Bob: http://kingofbob.blogspot.ca/
SPOILER, SPOILER ALERT:
After I watched the movie, (& I really liked it too,as you did), I did feel horrible about the mother's killing , & felt a bit guilty for liking this movie so much.
Yup, I did feel a bit bad for enjoying this movie, and especially since it was based on a true story about two young killers.
The fact that 2 young girls really did "that horrid deed", made the movie much more astonishing.
I still cannot believe that those 2 girls did what they did.
And once you read about the actual killers, you realize that in a way, they did get away with murder in the end...even if they did spend SOME time in jail.
A sad story.
But still....GREAT acting by everyone in this movie!
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I love this movie, although the only time I ever made it through the entire murder scene was the first time I watched it. Now I usually look away or watch it through my hands covering my face.
That being said, this is a cinematic masterpiece and possibly the best true crime movie ever made. They took what could be considered "Lifetime movie material," and made it into this beautiful, symbolic film about mental illness, co-dependency, love, friendship, sex, societal restraints, and family. Usually true crime films are about gangsters, contract killings, or about rampaging psychopathic serial killers. Peter Jackson made a film about two teenaged girls. He, along with Winslet and Lynskey, made them terrifying and sympathetic, setting it up more like a grand tragedy than a procedural, paint-by-numbers murder story.
It also has the most realistic murder scene in the history of film. It's disturbing, brutal and chillingly realistic (which is why I literally cannot watch it without putting my hands over my eyes).
It's also ironic when you consider that Jackson made/wrote a well-written (possibly the greatest ever made) crime film that veered away from every cliche and Juliet Hulme (Anne Perry) now writes horrible, cliche-ridden airport crime novels for a living. He wrote a better story of tragedy out of Anne Perry's real life crime than Perry has with her made-up stories.
I think it gives justice to Honora; showing that no matter what she did, the two girls were too deranged to be stopped and that the Hulmes exacerbated the entire ordeal by ignoring their daughter and treating her more like a burden than a daughter. What they did was wrong, Jackson shows that, but he also shows that they were not all mentally there, especially Juliet.
Don't feel bad. It's a class piece of cinema and it is only a shame that so many people will not have even heard of it, let alone seen it. It's marvellously shot, wonderfully acted and one of my favourite films ever. Of course it's horrendous what they did, goes without saying, but there is nothing wrong with loving the film.
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