FAR FROM HEAVEN (2002) / *** 1/2
Directed by Todd Haynes, from his screenplay. Starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert. Running time: 107 minutes. Rated AA by the MFCB. Reviewed on February 25th, 2003.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: The Whitakers -- Cathy (Moore) and Frank (Quaid) -- are a well-liked couple, called "Mr and Mrs Magnavox" after the TVs Frank sells. Frank, however, harbours a dark secret: he is experiencing homosexual urgings which are proving increasingly difficult to deny. Meanwhile, Cathy meets the new gardener, a black man named Raymond Deagan (Haysbert) and they strike up a relationship which sets the town abuzz with scandal. As the pressures of Fifties bigotry are brought to bear, can any of them find happiness?
Review: "Far From Heaven" could never have been made in the Fifties, but Todd Haynes and his team do everything within their power to convince us otherwise. This is an absorbing, sobering reflection on that period, using the way that it was typically depicted on film -- and, therefore, the way we are increasingly assuming that it was actually like -- to shatter our illusions. Only superficially are the Whitakers a happy, prosperous family with the requisite son and daughter and upwardly-mobile career (his, of course). Beneath the surface, the characters confront such issues as homosexuality and racism, topics all but verboten in mainstream studio movies of the time. Even concerns about child-rearing are implied: the Whitakers' son is constantly ignored, and their daughter is an emotional wreck. What makes "Far From Heaven" work as serious drama, rather than as satire, is that all involved play things absolutely straight. Haynes' direction, Edward Lachman's glorious cinematography and Elmer Bernstein's rousing score all adhere perfectly to the tenets of Fifties filmmaking. The wonderfully controlled lead performances feel just right too: the characters are portrayed exactly as if this really was a Fifties movie. The only difference is that in "Far From Heaven", we get to see the scenes in-between at which films of the era would not have dared hint.
Copyright © 2003 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html
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