HIFF 25 Years of Cinema Presents “Heavenly Creatures”

[caption id="attachment_62309" align="alignnone" width="750"] Kate Winselt and Melanie Lynskey in Peter Jackson’s
"Heavenly Creatures.”[/caption]

On Sunday, March 26, the Hamptons International Film Festival continues their 25 Years: 25 Films series at the Bay Street Theater with the HIFF 1994 selection “Heavenly Creatures,” at 6 p.m.

One of Peter Jackson‘s earliest films, “Heavenly Creatures,” recounts the bizarre, true-life tale of Pauline Rieper and Juliet Hulme, two teens who were convicted of brutally murdering Ms. Rieper’s mother in a 1954 court case.

In a startling work that blends fantasy, dark humor and history it takes a disturbing view of dysfunctional family life and overheated schoolgirl passion. The case recently gained renewed notoriety upon the release from prison of one of its protagonists, who was subsequently revealed to be the author of several well-known books written under a pseudonym.

Opening with the panicked aftermath of the killing itself, the film segues into the fast-blossoming friendship between morose schoolgirl Pauline and English newcomer to the school, Juliet. While on the surface the girls are from different social strata, they share a passion for Arthurian legend and a disdain for all who surround them. As their friendship spirals into a kind of pathological attachment, the fantasy realm they have constructed begins to inform their everyday reality. When their concerned parents step in and threaten to permanently separate the girls, the stage is set for a fatal turn.

Bay Street Theater is located at 1 Bay Street in Sag Harbor. Tickets for this screening cost $10 and to purchase tickets and for more information, visit hamptonsfilmfest.org or baystreet.org.