The tragic ramifications of this action, as described in the real Pauline's journal, are related in Peter Jackson's original motion picture. While Pauline was never located, Juliet was discovered to be prospering in Scotland as a bestselling murder mystery author using the pen name of Anne Perry. Considering the events chronicled in Heavenly Creatures , this makes a bizarre and ironically appropriate postscript. This uniquely powerful film accrues much of its momentum through character interaction. Pauline and Juliet are so well-scripted and solidly portrayed that the viewer cannot help but be captivated by their relationship.
Fantasy plays a crucial role in Heavenly Creatures .
Certainly, these two are more at home living in a world apart from our own, where romance and happiness reign. 33-year old Peter Jackson, whose films include Bad Taste and Braindead , has brought an unusually comic and colorful perspective to what one might naturally assume to be a painful tale. With the influence of Monty Python's Flying Circus very much in evidence, Jackson moulds the fantasy world into a place of richly-constructed images where the boundless creativity of his characters can find its release. The levity of this place also represents a stark contrast to the shocking sequence that both opens and closes the film. The supporting cast, which includes Diana Kent as Pauline's mother, Sarah Peirse as Juliet's mother, and Clive Merrison and Simon O'Connor, is excellent.