Heaven on Earth

2008

1h 46m

Drama

List

67%

6 Reviews

Tomatometer

45%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

An Indian woman's (Preity Zinta) optimism about her new life in Canada quickly disappears when her husband begins to vent his frustrations by beating her.

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Audience Member

Poignant at times, yet dull and leaves you wanting more at other times. Preity Zinta gave an excellent performance in spite of the many shortcomings of this movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

In this ironically titled kitchen-sink drama, Deepa Mehta tries to uncover the plight of a Punjabi girl, Chand, who gets married abroad to an abusive husband and his unsympathetic family. Her new mother-in-law senses competition for her son's heart, wedging herself between the newly wed couple. While Chand makes desperate attempts to make her marriage work, her world alternately shifts between reality and fantasy, drawing comparisons to some old Indian folklore tales. Whatever her intensions were, Deepa Mehta's critical look at domestic-abuse often looses the plot because of its tiresome and manipulative nature. Never is explained why a seemingly normal 21st century family cant welcome a bride into their home with some minimal compassion. Overall, it turned out to be just a deeply troubling viewing experience with out any real purpose or conclusion. The only reason I'm giving the movie a higher rating is the performance from its lead, Preity Zinta, who turned out to be a real class act. Without her solely carrying the movie on her shoulders, this movie would've turned into a total disaster. Zinta delivers the kind of performance that would've served her better justice in a better movie with a more promising premise.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I just really didn't get into this film, though it was nice seeing a movie set in and around Toronto. Zinta does give a good performance too.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I found this movie hard to watch. It brings attention to a reality about domestic (physical) abuse, jealous mother in laws and family duties.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

In this ironically titled kitchen-sink drama, Deepa Mehta tries to uncover the plight of a Punjabi girl, Chand, who gets married abroad to an abusive husband and his unsympathetic family. Her new mother-in-law senses competition for her son's heart, wedging herself between the newly wed couple. While Chand makes desperate attempts to make her marriage work, her world alternately shifts between reality and fantasy, drawing comparisons to some old Indian folklore tales. Whatever her intensions were, Deepa Mehta's critical look at domestic-abuse often looses the plot because of its tiresome and manipulative nature. Never is explained why a seemingly normal 21st century family cant welcome a bride into their home with some minimal compassion. Overall, it turned out to be just a deeply troubling viewing experience with out any real purpose or conclusion. The only reason I'm giving the movie a higher rating is the performance from its lead, Preity Zinta, who turned out to be a real class act. Without her solely carrying the movie on her shoulders, this movie would've turned into a total disaster. Zinta delivers the kind of performance that would've served her better justice in a better movie with a more promising premise.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This was very well acted but the story felt very dry.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

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Deepa Mehta

Director

Preity Zinta

Chand

Balinder Johal

Maji

Rajinder Singh Cheema

Papaji

Gourrav Sihan

Baldev

Vansh Bhardwaj

Rocky

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84%

76%

Import/Export

89%

62%

Applause

64%

52%

Lymelife

54%

39%

Explicit Ills

94%

92%

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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.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 24, 2008

Full Review

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.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

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.

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

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.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 24, 2008

Full Review

James Wegg

JWR

... Deepa Mehta turns her own Punjabi culture inside and out as this tale of arranged marriage moves from ceremonial joy through the willful blindness which spans the generational divide to the employment of myth, magic and fable ...

Rated: 4.5/5

Oct 21, 2008

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Synopsis

An Indian woman's (Preity Zinta) optimism about her new life in Canada quickly disappears when her husband begins to vent his frustrations by beating her.

Director: Deepa Mehta
Producer: Silva Basmajian, Sanjay Bhuttiani, Ravi Chopra, Deepa Mehta
Screenwriter: Deepa Mehta
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Mar 10, 2009
Runtime: 1h 46m