MovieChat Forums > Heaven (2002) Discussion > Amazing, amazing movie

Amazing, amazing movie


I think this is one of the most underrated films in a long time. Cate Blanchett always gets so much credit for her films, and they always seem to gain some kind of fan base just because of her prescence alone. This movie, though, I found very hard to find and hard to search for online because there was so little about it.

I though that this movie, about the undeniable and unexpected love connection between two people, was one of the best I've seen in a long time. And I loved the ending. Great movie.

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Hey, good to see some support for this unique movie. I loved it too, it was a really dreamlike experience and I'd love to see it a second time. I especially loved the ending too, how it didn't make sense in a traditional way but still fitted beautifully with the overall atmosphere of the film. I think this is one of Blanchett's very best films and performances, and Giovanni Ribisi did a good job in it too.

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Yeah I think this movie's exceptional too. I loved the ending as well.
I think the reason why this film is so underrated is a lot of people found it to be too slow. Ah well, it's there loss anyway...

It is impossible to experience one's own death objectively and still carry a tune

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slow? kidding?
I don't think like that at all, the movie is what it should have been!

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have to agree. i intended to start the feature and come back to it when more time. wild horses couldn't have torn me away.

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I cried almost all the movie. What a love Ribisi's character feels for her... Beautifully acted.

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It was amazing. True acting, it didnt even need music!

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I don't know if Kieslowski would have approved, but he'd certainly respect it. Great Film.

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If you like this maybe you should see "io non ho paura"

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Agreed to all of the above except the comment that some might think negatively towards the films pacing. I think it was superb. A true art of a film which there is so little of these days. Blanchett and Ribsi were exceptional. They said so much more without words. Watching the film I thought to myself, with actors like this it's no wonder that the script seemed like it had only 20 pages to it. The last shot was so magnificent. It was a long shot of the helicopter and I loved how the screen just went black and it said "HEAVEN". It was phenominal. LOVE this movie and Ribsi and Blanchett in it.

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yeah, and all the helecopter shots (I mean FROM a helecopter, not of one XD) are truly fantastic!

It's really a piece of art.

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I simply love this film. It is beautiful, sensual and dreamy. And as a few other posters mentioned, I too loved the stark silence of the final scene - a very effective and haunting way to finish.

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I feel that it is truly a beautiful film, and the acting is nothing short of genius. The scene in which Cate Blanchett admits that she is in love with him is just magic-- truly an amazing moment the way she plays that.

I have not been able to read through ALL the comments here, but of the ones I have read, it seems to me that nobody has yet noticed what to me seemed to be the most important point of the film: their names. Filippo and Philippa.

And, in relation to that, notice that as the film goes further along, they look more and more alike?

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I like the ending as well. The scene of a helicopter dissolving into the air seems to suggest a transcendence of their love/life.

And, just some thoughts to share...
The movie makes me think about the issue of justice. It's ironic that the police/detectives who are supposed to defend justice did not do that. Instead, they are at the same side with the villain. On the other hand, Filippo, although a police of a lower rank stands out and defends for Philippa. I think it's very brave for him to listen to his heart and help her. It strikes me that the law and the police cannot do as an absolute protection to citizens anymore. In this case, is there any way out for it? Can the victims avenge for themselves outside the law? And is she forgiven for accidentally killing the innocent people?

After they shaved their hair, they looked a bit like aliens. (Maybe it suggests that they are looking at the society as if they are from another world, that they cannot recognize a society that is corrupted, esp. the law, and people's ignorance of justice? ) Almost in the end of the movie, the scene where they are hugging under the tree, it looks like Adam and Eve hugging under the tree of knowledge. It's like they are tasting the forbidden knowledge, or that they have the truth.

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I loved it! The ending did fit perfectly but it was so sad! The music fitted perfectly as well. And the photography was just AMAZING! Maybe people don't like the film because of the simplicity of it

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The final image of the ascending helecopter answers the question posed in the initial scene in the flight simulator. The answer gives you the title of the movie.

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I read on here somewhere that this was the first part of a trilogy. To be honest, I didn't know if they would live or die...I remember in the beginning when a man says you can't go that high in a helicopter then a guy asks "how high can I go?" Were they just going to keep going until the helicopter ran out of fuel, or malfunctioned? What do you all think? Also, does anyone know anymore about the sequels that won't be made??

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Well I saw the movie yesterday and I have mixed feelings about it. First I think the acting was pretty good. At least from the two leads (Blanchett was brilliant). I am not so sure about the ending. A little bit unconvincing and the shot when the helicopter rises is looking too artificial.

I think the film suffers from being directed by a young director. There are too many scenes where Tykwer tries to do too much with shooting angles and different perspective. This gives most of the film some kind of "film student diploma film" style. Almost like one of those short films that film students do a lot.

An interesting piece of work, but somewhat inconsistent and kind of unfinished. Still worth watching!!

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Amazing movie. And one additional point:
I like Kieslowski's movies, but I think most of them are not really unforgettable. I dont know why and I dont have any idea. I barely can remember Red, Blue, White but this movie is unique in this matter for me. I cannot forget it. It has stuck in my mind. What a strong love story. It is pure love guys, nothing else matters, only love. And not a immature love between 2 teenagers. This movie [and story] is the meaning of "FALL IN LOVE" and of course the end is very genius.

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I think this movie was pure genius all the way around, just superb!!

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The most memorable & thought-provoking ending I've seen in a long while.
Gorgeous cinematography.
Excellent acting (with Cate Blanchett you never lose)

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I saw this several years ago when it chanced to be playing on tv. I desperately want to find it on DVD now - absolutely serene, just gorgeous. Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi are two of my favourite actors of all time, they have a wonderful understated onscreen chemistry which transcends the common bounds of relationships into a truly beautiful place. Everything about their performances is so measured and brilliantly executed, Ribisi especially is so amazing there are no words to accurately describe how incredible his performance is. I can't wait to finally see it again; a story of love on such a deep, intrinsic emotional level, all else pales beside it. Though their lives are totally different, they are essentially one person, they share the same soul, as it were, and that is a connection that cannot be defied. What a treasure of a film.

"I'm a God." ~ Ba'al

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the movie was cringe worthy.

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The excellent performances of Giovanni Ribisi and Cate Blanchett (apart and together) should only be missed if you are mainly looking for external adventure and action. Though it shares its part in weapons, scheme and drama, 'Heaven' is not blockbuster material: it is art material.

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Really rather good.

Marlon, Claudia and Dimby the cats 1989-2005, 2007 and 2010.

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