Program – Redemption

Two profane movies about the sacred.
“Bad Lieutenant” is probably too intense for most people. Unabashed in its NC-17 rating, the “Bad Lieutenant” is portrayed by Harvey Keitel as one of most soul-sick characters you’ll ever watch in movies. When he questions the nun’s right to forgive her attackers (brutal rape scene alert), he’s not challenging her; really needs to know if she can.
In “Heaven” (2002 – Italian / English), a parable of redemption in the guise of a police procedural, Cate Blanchett’s Phillipa is transformed by her police guard and translator, Filippo, played by Giovanni Ribisi. It works as a cops and robbers film, but the parallel meditation about grace and heaven is more thoughtful and disturbing than your average chase movie.