The Story of One Crime: In Life, in Literature and in Cinema

Abstract

Today, the name of the New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson is
known throughout the world. His films The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
received many awards, were a major commercial success and conquered millions
of viewers' hearts, including the admirers of J. R. R. Tolkien, who followed
the screen adventures of their favorite literary characters with bated breath.
However, connoisseurs of cinema had closely followed the work of Jackson for
many years before the films' release, for his early films — above all, Heavenly
Creatures, based on a monstrous real crime — impressed by the complexity of
chosen topics and the outstanding directorial skills.
This essay analyzes Heavenly Creatures, exploring the reality of a terrible
murder in a sleepy, little New Zealand town — the murder which was largely
disclosed through explicit entries in the diary of one of the criminals; and which
became the basis for the film's plot. In no way justifying the criminals, Jackson,
however, makes it clear that the incident was also the fault of the adults who
did not see and did not want to see the difficult situation of their daughters.
To ban, to punish — such “educational” measures largely anticipated the tragic
ending: harmless fantasies turned into a tragedy. The action of the film could
take place in any town, and not only in New Zealand. The film's warning - don't
be indifferent to your children — was understood by all viewers, regardless of
their country.
The essay looks at how the film was made by an artist who knew how to
combine — and make this combination credible — art house and commercial
cinema, surrealism (and other aesthetics of shock) and hard realism.