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Heaven on Earth

Play trailer Poster for Heaven on Earth 2008 1h 46m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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60% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 45% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
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.

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (74) audience reviews
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 Read all reviews
Heaven on Earth

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Cast & Crew

Import/Export 84% 76% Import/Export Watchlist Lymelife 63% 52% Lymelife Watchlist Explicit Ills 54% 39% Explicit Ills Watchlist Chak De India 89% 92% Chak De India Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

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
Screenwriter
Deepa Mehta
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 10, 2009
Runtime
1h 46m