Precocious teenager Juliet moves to New Zealand with her family and soon befriends the quiet, brooding Pauline through their shared love of fantasy and literature. This friendship gradually develops into an intense and obsessive bond.
Acting
Kate Winslet's debut — already fully formed, terrifyingly magnetic.
Direction
Jackson's claymation fantasies blur reality and delusion perfectly.
Editing
The final 20 minutes — you'll forget to breathe.
Director
Peter Jackson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Juliet Hulme became mystery novelist Anne Perry, only publicly identified in 1994 when this film released.
Jackson originally wanted unknowns; Winslet's audition tape was so electric he cast her immediately despite zero credits.
NZ
US
