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Far From Heaven
review by Carrie Gorringe, 20 September 2002
27th Toronto International Film
Festival
Redolent with motifs and themes
from the '50s melodramas of Douglas Sirk (Written on the Wind,
the remake of Imitation of Life), Far From Heaven
depicts the life of an upper-class family who is about to face
social disaster. On the
surface (isn't that always the way?), Cathy and Frank Whitaker
(Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid) seem like the perfect 1950s
couple. She:
perky and perfectly coiffed, always happy to sip a couple of
pre-dinner daquiris and dish dirt with the girls, especially with
her best friend Eleonor Fine (Patricia Clarkson).
He: the epitome
of the classically silent, rugged and handsome American husband, and
a good provider, courtesy of his executive position at the Magnatech
Corporation; the Whitakers so epitomize the concept of the ideal family
(complete with two children – a boy and a girl, naturally) that
the corporation features them in its advertising campaign.
Then, as might be expected, something goes horribly wrong
that rips the façade right off Mr. and Mrs. Magnatech's bucolic
life in suburban Connecticut. Frank,
it turns out, has a secret life, and the consequences reverberate
beyond the walls of the Whittaker home.
Under the stress of her husband's revelations, Cathy allows
her ultra-liberal (by then-contemporary standards) opinions to lead
her into making decisions that threaten to undermine more than her
social standing and that of others. She befriends her
African-American gardener (Dennis Haysbert), and the line between
doing good deeds and her personal feelings begins to blur very
dangerously.
Director Todd Haynes and Julianne
Moore have worked together before, on her breakthrough role in Safe
(1995), a trenchant satire on cults and the solipsistic lifestyles
of the '90s. In Heaven, Haynes showcases her considerable
talent with ease. As in
her previous film, World Traveller, Moore is required to
carry the film's emotional weight, and here she does this
brilliantly. As the
film moves from broad satire to serious drama, Moore's sensibilities
shift with exquisite subtlety; she glides imperceptivity
through the process. She infuses Cathy with just the right
mixture of winsomeness, sensuality and vulnerability from frame one
and never falters throughout (it's truly an Oscar-caliber piece of
work). For his part,
Haysbert conveys a sense of quiet strength without slipping into a
parody of the '50s concept of the "noble Negro" (à la
Sidney Poitier in any number of Stanley Kramer productions). The
overall "look" of the film is stunningly and uncannily
accurate (Haynes has stated that he and production designer Mark
Friedberg – the latter was responsible for the spot-on historical
1970's details in The Ice Storm – combed through back
issues of House & Garden to arrive at this level of
historical authenticity). Unfortunately,
the script doesn't possess this same attention to detail in terms of
effective plotting: through
the transition from broad satire to what is, in the end, overly
simplistic, obvious and ineffective social comment, the film shifts
gears clumsily and too drastically, as if in an attempt to make up
time after lingering too long on the atmosphere. What should have been a smooth transition between satire and
melodrama isn't, making the film's final half seem unconvincing.
Only Moore and Haysbert's performances provide enough
chemistry to drag the film through to its pat and all-too
predictable ending. As
an homage to Douglas Sirk's oeuvre, it falls flat. Despite all the
overblown dialogue and situations, the hallmark of a Sirkian
melodrama was its underlying belief that there remained real people
with real issues of loss and vulnerability who had something to
lose; Sirk never appeared to be patronizing its audience.
In this case of Heaven, all that remains is tiresome tragedy
and the sense that fine actors have been cast in roles unworthy of
their talents (Sirk would never have allowed his lead character to
have been treated so shabbily, as Cathy is).
The overall result makes it appear as though Haynes has
abandoned his usual sureness of hand and doesn't have much
confidence in his material. Far
From Heaven is a film that strays too far from its lofty
ambitions and becomes far from persuasive.
Toronto International Film Festival Coverage:
Reviews:
Interviews:
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Written and
Directed
by:
Todd Haynes
Starring:
Julianne Moore
Dennis Quaid
Dennis Haysbert
Patricia Clarkson
Viola Davis
James Rebhorn
Bette Henritze
Michael Gaston
Ryan Ward
Lindsay Andretta
Jordan Puryear
Kyle Timothy Smith
Rated:
PG-13 - Parents
Strongly Cautioned.
Some material may
be inappropriate
for children under 13.
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