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Higher Ground2011 | 109 min | R | 1.85:1
What a challenging and unusual motion picture this is. "Higher Ground" marks the directorial debut of actress Vera Farmiga, one of the most astute performers in Hollywood today, and she reaches big for her first cinematic offering. A story of salvation and awakening, about religion and spirituality, "Higher Ground" is an exquisitely measured, fair-minded assessment of faith. It's never mean or condescending. It's honest and richly imagined, drilling to the heart of commitment and life. It's difficult material from which to launch a filmmaking career, yet this is a splendidly confident, unexpected movie. One of the best of 2011. 
After innocently accepting attention from a preacher at a young age, Corinne (Vera Farmiga as an adult, Taissa Farmiga as a teen) has affixed herself to the ways of the bible. Growing with her like-minded husband Ethan (Joshua Leonard), Corinne has developed into vessel of belief, insatiable for the Holy Spirit and the comfort of God's word. Joining an evangelical community, the couple sustains a marital bond, with the years gifting them a circle of family and friends. As time passes, Corinne begins to feel disconnected from her spirit, which encourages a flush of introspection, urging the sheltered woman to reassess her sexual and gender roles while fighting to keep faith in her life. Adapted from the memoir "This Dark World" by Carolyn Griggs (who also co-scripts with Tim Metcalfe), "Higher Ground" retains a loose concentration befitting a life story. Farmiga institutes a perspective for Corinne that slips in and out of daydreams, cracking open a woman whose life is at odds with her desires. However, the feature is no indictment, instead assuming a compassionate look at the struggles of religious conviction, scrutinizing the bondage that comes with handing a life over to a higher power. For Corinne, following God isn't just a commitment of the heart, but of the body as well, finding her femininity viewed with a polite amount of contempt, forced to play a subservient role to the men of the group, taught to behave and question in private. It's an existence she's always known, yet with marriage, children, and her own maturity, Corinne comes to discover herself, locating spirituality in art, books, and outsiders -- flavors of humanity that have always been coldly restricted. 
"Higher Ground" explores that primal quest for fulfillment. Corrine doesn't purely reject God, she looks to regain His light in alternative sources when the stasis of life disconnects her from the Holy Spirit. It's an ambitious screen behavior to articulate, though Farmiga is up to the challenge, presiding over a stunning performance of fluid, naked emotion, assuming full command of Corrine's frustrations. Keeping the structure loose (the story is separated by chapters), the director captures the movement of life, finding Corinne hit with marital and medical realities that redefine her sense of trust, urging her to dig deeper to uncover satisfaction that's been tapped dry. Instead of lashing out with destructive acts of sin, the character steps quietly, often fantasizing of liberation (sexual and intellectual) before she attempts to retrieve it. The ensemble also skillfully communicates the pressures of faith, expressing the glory and the failure of communal certainty. Their efforts are mesmerizing, with Farmiga submitting career-best work in an extraordinarily arduous role. 
As Corinne struggles with her loveless marriage, finds attention with an educated mail carrier (Sean Mahon), and begins to grasp her craving for communication, "Higher Ground" attains a powerful portrait of human complexity colliding with disorientating social and spiritual structure. Farmiga even keeps it a little light too, sustaining a sense of humor about the characters that helps to identify with the conflicts and accept mistakes. It's a beautifully rendered portrait of a blossoming, aching life, executed with a brilliant tonality and general even-keeled respect that has me aching to see what Farmiga does for a follow-up. Starring: Vera Farmiga, Joshua Leonard, Dagmara Dominczyk, Norbert Leo Butz, John Hawkes, Bill Irwin Director: Vera Farmiga » See full cast & crew |
 
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