Higher Ground

This amazingly intelligent and touching film, directed by Vera Farminga, her first, in which she also stars, was among the best I have seen this year. Farminga, known for Down to the Bone, Up in the Air, and a half dozen other fine films truly exhibits the range of her talents as an actress. The film portrays Christianity in particular, and religious faith in general at its best and its worst, depending on ones point of view. One thinks of the Tennyson quote: "there lives more faith in honest doubt than in half the creeds," I loved the scene of her outside the church building with the dogs, which took on an amazing symbolism in its context as she had just been warned by her Christian counselor that she would be cast out of heaven "to the dogs." The ending will surprise viewers. It is not predictable. The music is also powerful and authentic and carries the mood and spirit of the faith the film faithfully reflects.

I think some of the negative reviews come from Christians who are offended at how this film portrays faith but there is no doubt that the kind of faith the film reflects is very alive and well, even though Christianity has many expressions around the world. This kind of charismatic evangelical fundamentalism is quite common outside the mainstream churches.

Actor/Director Vera Farmiga plays middle age mother Corrine in this drama of a Christian woman's spiritual journey spanning three decades. In a scene that foreshadows the rest of the film, when attempting to learn to play the accordion Corrine is told, "maybe you haven't found the right instrument yet." Throughout the film Corrine seeks to find her self through various religious expressions during the 'Jesus movement' era. When her yearning for intimacy and authenticity is not found in the Christian community, Corrine journeys to find a faith that is true to herself and resonates with what she knows as truth.

Higher Ground is a rare gem in the midst of Hollywood's often shallow and stereotypical portrayal of faith. Screenwriters and filmmakers would do well to look to Higher Ground (both literally and figuratively) when exploring issues of faith. Truthful in its portrayal, Higher Ground neither demonizes Christians nor paints an overly rosy picture of what a life of faith and struggles with doubt look like. It is a quality, honest portrayal, which invites personal reflection and communal dialog. The quality production will draw you in and musical score will take you back to religious experiences of your youth. It would be hard to not be moved by this film and walk out inspired to continue on one's own faith journey wherever that might lead.

Vera Farmiga is a great actress, I think everyone knows that, but now with Higher Ground we get to see what a true talent she has as a director. The story that is told here is one like I've never seen before, a religious film that doesn't really come off with a bias attitude for or against the church, it does paint a beautiful portrait of a woman who found faith at a young age and in her adult life is slowly losing that faith. The character of Corinne is not a weak woman, she is a tough woman who speaks her mind and doesn't let herself be quietened down by the men in the church, this type of character is what is needed in films about women today and Vera Farmiga performs this difficult role so spectacularly it's a crime if it is ignored come award time.

Everything about this movie is just amazing, the acting, the script, the costumes, the production design, everything just fits together perfectly and all aspects compliment each other very well. I am not a religious person at all, I have zero interest in any religion, I really only went to see it because of it being Miss Farmiga's directorial debut but almost instantly I was totally taken in by the story. One thing I noticed is the surprising amount of humor, I found myself laughing so hard so many times, the scriptwriters knew just when to lighten the load and throw in an intelligent laugh, at those times the entire theater was in hysterics. I can see why this film has such a low rating, a lot of Americans would probably be offended by it but oh well, you win some you lose some, full props to Vera for taking in such a daring subject for her first feature.

This movie deserves to be seen by all types, religious, non religious and even just those after a terrific film to watch, it's a film that would get you talking afterward, one for discussion, me and my partner are still talking about it.

I am so looking forward to seeing what Vera does next, she is obviously a very talented woman in many ways and with Higher Ground she shows amazing promise as a director.

In a word, EXCEPTIONAL!!!

Higher Ground is a story about an honest search for faith in a fearful, posturing world. It is an unpretentious film. It is also Vera Farmiga's directorial debut and it showcases her signature style. She displays astonishing depths, carrying roles with integrity and intelligence. I've always noted that she has an atypical screen glamor that grows in its unfurling. In fact, it's a special beauty but it fits a needed niche. If you have ever walked the path of faith, honestly questing, be prepared for a cathartic, ambiguous denouement that may take you to higher ground. I enthusiastically recommend this soft, sad but lovely journey by cinema.

A lot of folks are posting to point out that HG is just plain boring. I say it's not.

What it is, is mundane. Farmiga set herself a difficult hurdle. She decided that she wanted to set this odyssey in the context of the life of, really, an ordinary woman. And so there's a notable wash of the quotidian over the whole movie; lots of pastels and a paucity of striking drama and color. Who buys a ticket to eat oatmeal? Well, there are a couple of redemptive factors, esthetically speaking.

One thing she does is place flashpoint moments of pretty intense drama, such as when the personality conflict with her husband culminates in violence; a real white-knuckler! And, that being merely a notable punctuation point in the action, a careful tracking shows the flick to be a kind of moderated exposition, ranging from the truly mundane to some pretty challenging stuff; and everything in between and every which way.

HG is an invitation to lovingly and thoughtfully consider those of our brethren who have addressed their existential crises by buying into this particular "out"; socializing themselves into fundamentalism.

Interestingly, the eye of the camera viewing this epic could be the fairly dispassionate eye of a deistic god: For example, I found the scene where our heroine meets with a "prophetic" councilor particularly challenging. It requires that we get off our duffs, roll up our sleeves, and personally address the issue: From whence do persons who promote themselves as social arbiters derive their credentials? Does his firm, unblinking claim to divine calling overrule the intuitions of women who simply feel unfulfilled? HG is, I think, carefully directed to leave you to answer this, and other questions, in the tabernacle of your own heart. This will naturally put off some moviegoers who never really felt that this was the purpose of film.

I'm not kidding: I'm fully aware that this style of filmmaking puts off plenty of people. Farmiga didn't make this film to be popular: She made it to be honest with herself.

And perhaps that's the foundation point of the best recommendation for this flick: How often do you get to see films like that?