Heaven

Year: 2002

Actors: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Remo Girone, Vincent Riotta

Duration: 97 min

The movie opens with us following an English teacher, Philippa working in Italy, who assembles a home-made bomb which she places in some serious guy's office. The law of unintended consequences applies, and she confesses to the murder of 4 innocent people. The key moment in the long (and thrilling) opening sequence is when the accidental translator Filippo holds Philippa's hand after she passes out briefly during interview. Beautiful, unspoken, declaration of love. By quite complicated (and subtle) means, which will wrong-foot you at every turn, Philippa and Filippo go on the run. The love affair is, for most of the movie, platonic, but searingly serious. All the cops in Italy are chasing down this 'terrorist' and her partner, and their chances of survival are poor, to say the least. They find out who their friends are. This is that strange thing, an art-house movie which works as a cops & robbers thriller.—davidB.

Genre: Action   Crime   Drama   Romance   Thriller