Heaven (2002)

Cate Blanchett as: Philippa Paccard

Directed by: Tom Tykwer
Selected Cast: Giovanni Ribisi, Remo Girone, Stefania Rocca & Vincent Riotta
Written by: Krzysztof Kieslowski & Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Release Year: 2002
Genre: Crime / Drama / Romance / Thriller
MPAA Rating: R

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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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Behind the scenes: Andrew Upton kisses Cate Blanchett’s shaved head moments after it was shaved for a scene in the film; DVD Making of…

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Quotes from Cate Blanchett

“I read it [script] and was just compelled by it. It’s rare that you get the chance to read scripts with an emotional and spiritual breadth as rich as this one.” (Daily Mirror, August 2002)
On shaving her head for the film: “It just had to be done. In the story it was an act of purity, a voluntary sacrifice. Everyone was so worried about it that I was counseling them. But cutting it all off was so liberating! You know when you see a field of wheat and you can chart the path of the wind? My head was constantly being caressed by the breeze. I said to myself, ‘When it grows, I’m not going to dye it anymore.’” (Harper’s Bazaar, October 2001)

Quotes from Others

Tom Tykwer:
— “What Cate [Blanchett] is able to achieve on screen is unbelievable.”
Anthony Minghella who is one of the producers in the film, and directed Cate Blanchett in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999):
— “You see her in [The Talented Mr.] Ripley and it’s as if she has no bones. There was something so skittish about her. It seems all she could do was that one way of being. Then you see her in Heaven, and where is that person? Now there’s an intensity and stiffness about her, like every one of her bones has a steel pin in it. It’s as if she has a new face. It’s very impressive.”

Trivia & Facts

Filmed in Germany and Italy.
The film premiered In Competition and opened the 52nd Berlin International Film Festival on 6 February 2002.
Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi also worked together in The Gift (2000).
The first part of trilogy, Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, intended by Krzysztof Kieslowski before his death.
Tom Tykwer’s debut feature in English language.
Cate Blanchett was awarded the Golden Camera Award from Germany, more accolades here.