Heaven on Earth (2008)
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67% of critics liked it
(6 reviews) -
47% of users liked it
(465 ratings)
Award-winning filmmaker Deepa Mehta (Bollywood/Hollywood, Water) writes and directs this magic realist drama detailing the ill fated arranged marriage between a vibrant young Indian girl and her temperamental Canadian husband. Chand (Preita Zinta) is about to be married, and in order to celebrate… More Award-winning filmmaker Deepa Mehta (Bollywood/Hollywood, Water) writes and directs this magic realist drama detailing the ill fated arranged marriage between a vibrant young Indian girl and her temperamental Canadian husband. Chand (Preita Zinta) is about to be married, and in order to celebrate her family throws an elaborate party. The celebrations are decidedly short-lived, however, when upon arriving in Toronto and meeting her new husband Rocky (Vansh Bhardwaj), Chand immediately senses something off-putting about her new spouse and his family. Rocky's mother is nosy and domineering, the children of the household seem prone to malicious pranks, and the new husband himself is unusually cold and distant towards his optimistic young bride. Increasingly desperate yet unable to contact her family back home, Chand confides her fears in sympathetic fellow factory worker Rosa, who offers a most unusual solution to the dejected bride's dilemma - a potion with the power to make whomever drinks it fall hopelessly and helplessly in love with her. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Deepa Mehta
- Written By
- Deepa Mehta, Deepa Mehta Saltzman
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Sep 6, 2008 Wide
- Studio
- Mongrel Media
Critic Reviews
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Peter Howell, Toronto Star
A less assured filmmaker would have trouble reconciling reality with magic realism, but writer/director Mehta turns kitchen-sink drama into soaring metaphor.
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Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
At best, magic realism is an intoxicating blend of the sweet and the bitter; in Heaven on Earth, it's a head-on collision with no survivors.
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Peter Debruge, Variety
Chipping away at the Indian institution of arranged marriage one feature at a time, Deepa Mehta brings her latest taboo-challenging critique home to Canada with Heaven on Earth.
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Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
The Indian-born writer-director moves into the realm of the imagination and magic realism to concoct a strong artistic statement about the powers of the mind.
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Bruce Kirkland, Jam! Movies
I can sense the profound ambition that inspired Deepa Mehta to craft her drama Heaven on Earth. But her uneven film turns out to be deeply troubling.
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