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Heaven

If ever there was a film that defied classification, then "Heaven" surely gets my vote for first place. Here is a movie that begins as a thriller, turns into a drama, ends as a love story, and yet in the final moments, we're still unsure as to what the experience has been all about. Written by the late Krzysztof Kieslowski and longtime co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz, the story follows the path of Philippa Paccard (Cate Blanchett), a British schoolteacher residing in Italy who makes headlines when a bomb she plants in the office of an alleged drug lord takes the lives of four innocent civilians instead. She finds no compassion from the police, who themselves are on the take from her former victim; only a young officer named Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi) finds himself drawn to her, falling for her, flaws, misdeeds, and all. ***

As anyone who's ever seen a Kieslowski film will surely realize, his movies are always about something, even if you must scratch the surface to find it. "Heaven" requires a great deal of scraping and tearing, and even after all of that, there's very little to see that isn't laid out in a straightforward manner, something the deceased would never have approved of. The magnificent films of his "Three Colors" trilogy were all about looking deeper beneath the surface for hidden meanings and connections, whereas here, it's all put out on the table: emotional burdens, underlying thoughts, the whole shebang. In the hands of director Tom Tykwer, the movie causes us to ponder what might have been, had Kieslowski had the chance to make it his own before his death in 1996. ***

And yet, there's still something about the experience that remains in one's mind, something that rests between actors Blanchett and Ribisi, whose performances are like a thunderclap in an otherwise quiet movie. Ribisi's restrained exterior demeanor speaks volumes of the inner emotional turbulence his character undergoes, while Blanchett enhances her pedigree for powerful, strong-willed exercises in acting excellence. She makes Philippa, a woman you wouldn't initially respond to on a deeper level, someone that we can connect with through her self-recognition of her faults and flaws. And while the love story aspect may seem underdeveloped from a writing point-of-view, these two fine leads manage to involve us in their seemingly unbreakable bond, drawing us in and making us care despite our reservations. ***

In the end, I'm still unsure what to make of "Heaven." Perhaps I'm still hung up on the what-if notion when comparing the styles of Kieslowski and Tykwer; it's something that one simply must accept when entering into the film. Perhaps I was looking for more subtlety within the confines of the rather upfront material, which feels like the work of its creator in some places, in others not. In any case, the performances are well worth it, as they tend to outgrow the barriers set forth by the screenplay; if you must see "Heaven," do so with the knowledge that it feels less like its titular place, and more like the life-long journey towards that final, infinite destination.

What a luminous transfer! "Heaven" looks simply gorgeous on DVD, with an irresistible color palette that is reproduced with stunning results. Every blue, every red, every green, and just about every other color is beautiful here, with saturation at the top of its game, and accuracy always in check. Contrast is quite good as well, with very nice shadow detail and solid blacks, none of which give way to compression artifacts. Edges are sharp with only some minimal enhancement halos, and the source print is in fine shape, with no signs of blemishes. Heavenly! ***

Also quite impressive is the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, which makes good use of the soundfield despite its limited subject matter. The score is wondrous to behold, filling out the rear channels nicely while expanding across the entire arena for an aural experience that is breathtaking in places. Dialogue sounds natural throughout, and channel separation is good when needed. The low end doesn't get much use, and the .1 LFE is almost absent for the film's entire, but it's not really necessary. Very nice.