“Heaven”–a tale of corruption, rebellion and love on the run in modern Italy–is the product of a strange cinematic alliance that works beautifully. Directed by Tom Tykwer (“Run, Lola, Run”), the film was co-written by the late Polish master Krzysztof Kieslowski (“The Decalogue”) as part of a proposed trilogy. Death intervened, but the sensibilities of both filmmakers stamp the finished product–a tense thriller that becomes a lyrical love story.
Cate Blanchett marvelously plays Philippa, arrested for terrorism when the bomb she intended for a corporate drug lord kills four innocent bystanders; Giovanni Ribisi is Filippo, the young Italian translator at her interrogation who falls wildly in love and plans her escape. Kieslowski fashioned a moral drama, but Tykwer makes it crackle with tension. The result is both engrossing and moving, a poem about a love that breaks barriers and passes understanding.
———-
“Heaven” ((star)(star)(star)1/2 ) opens Friday at Water Tower Theatre, 157 E. Chestnut St. In Italian; English subtitled. Running time: 1:36 . MPAA rating: R (sensuality, themes and violence).
