Jackson tackles the Parker-Hulme murder case. In 1950's New Zealand, two teenage girls formed an intense friendship largely driven by a shared fantasy world they had created populated by a fairy tale royal family and movie stars they were obsessed with. When their parents became concerned that the relationship was too intense (and worries of lesbianism reared their ugly heads), the girls murdered one of their mothers in an effort to stay together. In what is Jackson's best film, he focuses on the intensity of their friendship and the heightened fantasy they lived in. A lot of Jackson's flaws as a filmmaker are present ... the film is too long and he encourages weird comedic overacting from some of his performers ... but it's definitely his most fully developed film, capturing the reasons that drove these girls as well as the tragedy of the story's outcome.

This is a fantasy fable, even though it is based on real events. The movie did bore me for a while in the middle, as the story became somewhat stagnant. The acting is superlative however. The dream sequences are masterfully done. The relationship between Pauline and Juliet is the pivot of the film, a pivot well crafted. Melanie Lynsky paints the brooding, intense portrait of Pauline, an awkward girl with a fluttering heart. Kate Winslet effortlessly plays her debut role of a carefree and emotional teenager. The movie is somewhat stretched out in the middle, and that is why I am rating it a notch low. It is a good film however, and definitely worth a one-time watch.

Peter Jackson known for low budget gory splat movies from New Zealand makes his first steps in serious film making in this murder drama based on a true incident.The film opens with the aftermath of the slaying as two teenage girls emerge hysterical from the woods in Christchurch.The film is about two schoolgirls, Mario Lanza, Orson Welles and living in early 1950s New Zealand which might had been decades behind the 1950s where rock n roll was to emerge in America.Awkward, morose, gawky schoolgirl Pauline (Melanie Lynsky) meets a new arrival from England, Juliet (Kate Winslet) who is confident, clever and brings Pauline out of her shell. Both bond closely with their love of opera and begin to live in a fantasy land which also allows Jackson to keep his horror fans satisfied with special effects scenes.The friendship between Juliet and Pauline soon becomes unhealthy as they feel superior and reality and fantasy collides. Pauline is resentful of her hokey, backwards family, especially her mother. Not helped by them not understanding her burgeoning sexuality, especially when a older boarder takes advantage of her and they blame the daughter.Juliet is ignored by her self centred parents who on the verge of splitting up and Juliet might end up going to South Africa. As the girls are forcibly kept apart they hatch a violent plan which ends up in disaster and tragedy.This is really a small scale drama from Peter Jackson, a world away from his recent overblown, enormous budget epics with even lengthier directors cuts.Here the acting from Winslet and Lynsky does the talking. Jackson brings the New Zealand of the 1950s to live, a world that is very insular. However the film is an efficient drama, nicely acted, a gory ending but not too far away from a well made television drama with some good special effects.

Just looked at the ratings for this movie, and all demographic groups gave it between 7.1 and 7.7, and there are few if any unsatisified reviews. But I thought it was truly average, and honestly over-rated. Yes, the production values were high etc., but quality form needs salient content. Though it's apparently a true story, and was interesting (though never gripping) in places, the plot seemed derivative and the metaphorical scenes were clichéd (unicorns and adolescent girls? seriously?). Kate Winslet played herself well, as usual, though with a different accent. I feigned interest for my partner's sake, who did rate it highly, though she seemed puzzled and possibly annoyed when the movie ended and I said 'let's watch Night of the Living Dead again, and continue the dead actors theme'. Yawn. Peter Jackson had to start somewhere, I guess