HEATHERS

US, 1988, 103 minutes, Colour.
Christian Slater, Winona Ryder, Shannen Doherty.
Directed by Michael Lehman.

Heathers is a very off-beat, black comedy about American youth in the '80s. It focuses on young people at school, the pressures, the leaders (three girls, all called Heather) and the pressure on the heroine, Veronica, to want to belong to their group. Winona Ryder (BeetleJuice, Square Dance) is convincing as Veronica in her wanting to be part of the group, in her attraction to the mysterious hero, in her reaction against him. Christian Slater -is effectively smooth and then maniacal as the outsider who brings havoc to Veronica's life and murder to the school. (Slater is said to have modelled his performance on that of Jack Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwick.)

The film was written by a 26-year-old writer, and directed by director Michael Lehmann (Hudson Hawk). It is a black social comment on American youth - and a cult movie.

1. The title, the school? The girls themselves? What they stood for? The tone?

2. The choice of Ohio for the settings? The town, the homes? The school? The parks and forests around the town? The balance of real and fantasy? Dream sequences? The musical score? The tradition of black American comedy? Exaggeration, satire? The focus on youth and school, glamorous bitches, the outsider? Suicide and - its horror, being glamorised?

4. The introduction to the Heathers: the, croquet and Veronica's head, their talk and their background, ace and status, position in the school, going through the cafeteria and their reactions to the students, the students' reaction to there? Their humiliating people, the fat girl and the note? Using Veronica? Their question about the Inheritance? Their looking, down at the boys making the burgers for charity?

5. Their appearances, American glamour, style? Their characters ? Their relationships, criticism amongst themselves? With boys? The party, sex? The Heather who read, 'Moby Dick'? Taking the place of the dead Heather?

6. Veronica herself, her parents and home? Her relationship with the Heathers, her skill in forging, writing the note, asking the question about the inheritance, croquet, with them - in the cafeteria? Her being caught up in their world, wanting position, their hold over her? Her motives? Noticing the strange boy - in the corner, attracted, the questions, the bond between the two? Feeling she was understood by him?

7. Veronica going out with Heather, the preparations, the party, sex, her being sick, Heather's spurning of her?

8. The stranger and his style, the background of his story, moving around? His accent, manner of speaking, glib, seeming attractive? style, quotes? His wealth? Meeting his father - and each doing the other's dialogue about their relationship, his study, money? His father and the building? Lawless? his attraction towards Veronica, the first encounter in the cafeteria, combining forces with her, infatuation, love, sexuality? Sharing her attitude towards Heather? Sick? His plan, trying to make Heather sick, killing her? Forcing Veronica to forge the suicide note, glamorising her inner life and thoughts?

9. The forgery and its style, the reaction of the school, the discussion whether to have time off or not, the teacher wanting the girls to share? The funeral and the homily of the Reverend? The practical teachers, the idealistic teachers? Glamorising the dead Heather and her inner life? Glamorising teenage aspirations and searching? The fat girl and the note and being hit by the car? The English class discussing the note as literature and wanting to know whether they would he examined on it? Heather's later appearance in Veronica's dream, saying the afterlife was boring?

10. The jocks, typical young men? Their style and swagger? The place in the school? with the girls? With Veronica, with the second Heather and going to look at the cow, their pushing the cow over? Veronica's disgust? The stranger's idea, inviting Veronica to share it, getting the guns, getting the two jocks in the forest, shooting one, chasing the other, getting them in their underwear, the note about homosexuality, the mineral water - and the police seeing that and therefore identifying them as homosexual? The police and their reaction, the student and Veronica cuddling in the car? The funeral, the sermon of the Reverend? The father and his speech, thinking his son was gay?

11. Heather and Moby Dick, the plans for her death, the underlining of the book, her death, the funeral, the first Heather's ghost, the homily of the Reverend?

12, The teachers, the administrators and their interpretation of the suicides? Youth? Aspirations?

13. Veronica taking stock, her wondering what the stranger was doing, visiting his house? Wanting to go ahead with the deaths? Veronica's reaction, thinking it too much? Her decision to pretend to hang herself? His being deceived? Her mother's arrival?

14. His plans for the school, for the explosions and mass suicide? Veronica hurrying into the school, the fight with him in the boiler room? The timing of the explosion? The school activities, the gymnasium, the singing of the school song?

15. The confrontation, the fight, going outside, the timer, the explosion and his death?

16. Realism and surrealism? Presuppositions about black humour and irony? Audiences adjusting? The wittiness of the lines and their echoing of the attitudes and thoughts of youth? The characters, the taking off of the youth films? The issue of suicide? A piece of Americana? Cult film?