Julianne Moore steps into the role she was surely born to play in this gorgeously filmed weepie. Moore is Cathy Whitaker, a 1950s housewife whose seemingly idyllic suburban life starts to disintegrate when she catches her husband Dennis Quaid kissing another man. Matters scarcely get easier when she forms a bond with black gardener Dennis Haysbert, and while her husband battles his "illness", she struggles to suppress her desire for the man a white society says she can't have. While Haysbert and Quaid hardly disgrace themselves, Moore is simply brilliant here. As Cathy, she embodies suppressed desire and frustration with great intensity, and was nominated for an Oscar for her troubles. It helps of course that Todd Haynes' film is a sumptuous visual feast. Wonderful colours are present in every shot, hinting at the naivety of the time whilst also saluting the 50s weepies the film is inspired by. A sort of amalgamation of Pleasantville and Brief Encounter, this is highly competent, literate film-making. A slightly rushed ending and the partial neglect of Quaid's character are minor issues, this is a film that needs to be watched.
This movie is depressing and unpleasant to watch, and normally I would take away points for that (second review this week where I refer to Monster), but I think maybe this one wasn't so bad about it because it at least depicted injustices that we've made some progress on, while at the same time making you realize that we still haven't completely gotten over them, and that there are still many other injustices we live with that are capable of reducing someone to tears when they thought they were doing what was right. Well acted and about as tasteful as you can get for a movie about this kind of thing. I've always been kind of intrigued by the 50's, but this is a reminder that it really wasn't all that idyllic of a time.
This was a very interesting and well done movie. It addressed issues of intolerance in the 1950's, and emphasized how far society has come since those early days. Although I think homosexuality is wrong, I also think it is wrong to treat homosexuals as outcasts and discriminate against them. Some people seem to think that homosexuality is worse than "lesser sins", but in fact all sins are on the same plane, and no one can claim they are "better" than any on else. I think we are called to love all people no matter what they look like or what they have done. This movie portrays that message quite well. I especially liked what the movie said about racism. It was sad that the circumstances at the time of the movie meant that a black person and a white person could not have a romantic relationship, or even be close friends for that matter. Julianne did a great job as a woman dedicated to her family, and ultimately having honourable motives despite the social and political climate at that time. This is worth a watch.
I just finished watching Far From Heaven and was really impressed. Absolutely brilliant art design and costume design in the movie. The colors and everything in it was beautiful to look at and really gave you the 50's look or how I would have imagined it while watching black and white movies.
I was pleasantly surprised with the performances as well because I don't really think much of Quaid or Moore but they exceeded expectations here. The plot was also superb and didn't need to have any affair involved with Moore and Haysbert's characters but you could see how much she felt for him through her emotions. This was Julianne's movie and she really carried it well by playing the perfect wife on the surface to what is a sham of a life or marriage.
The issues it tackles might be a bit hard to watch at some times but it gives you an idea of how far we have advanced as humans from nearly 60 years ago to how things are now, even with the bad put in mind. Even the credits at the end are nice to look at. Highly recommended viewing.
A marvellous film tackling such issues as racism and homophobia in the 1950's. I don't know what to say about Julianne Moore words cant describe her acting in this film, Moore plays a 1950's housewife whose world is turned upside down with the discovery of her husbands(brilliantly played by Quaid) 'sickness'; her husband is gay, trying to cope with this sickness she embarks on a close friendship with her gardeners son Dennis Haysbert. Their friendship is frowned upon by the neighbours ,inter racial friendships are not encouraged. The sets and costumes are beautiful to watch and Todd Haynes blends old melodramatic cinema with a more modern style to create a true piece of art. Beautiful film, just wish I had caught it earlier than I did
This is a small revisit. Most everything said before remains, but with some noted changes. ^_^
On the surface, Far from Heaven looks like a prettyful homage to old-school films, what with the retro title cards beginning and end, not to mention the era the film takes place. Julianne Moore is very good in the film. Despite being a real square for most of the film, her character does begin to pick up during the last hour or so. Dennis Quaid is hardly shown, and if he is, he's got a secret, he's breaking down, or he's drinking away his problems. Dennis Haysbert portrays such intelligence that he is high above everybody else, but as the story unravels, it's so sad to see what choices he must make, as do the three of these characters. Everything is strictly a no-no in this black and white (metaphorical and literal) society where everyone wears blinders and must conform to a "normal" status (as it was back then). Perhaps it's still like this today, but at least some improvements have been made since then.
As noted earlier, it's a movie set in the '50s that also emulates a typical '50s film, therefore the actors must follow in this set-up. So now, I can look past the flatness of each character, the quibble I had with this film earlier. The thing I liked most about Far from Heaven was that it took all these elements and shook it up to have these characters take a walk on the wild side where it had yet to be treaded on. First time around, I thought the entire film was flat, performances and presentation, and that it hadn't really anything original. But taking note of the film's title and the questionable directions these characters retreat to, it's not so much about touchy topics set in a retro environment, but how a society warps the mind, and if one or more dare to disrupt it, then the shit hits the fan... kinda like that movie Pleasantville. Nothing is ever too fun and fancy free, not then, and not even now. By this point, I've just about fallen in love with this film. ^_^
Deals with the issues of the main character with all the banality of film created for the lifetime channel, seemingly skirting the issue but never truly addressing it.... it is watchable but the "moment" you wait for never seems to come to fruition.
Not a bad little period drama, but it has so much going for it and then does nothing. Interracial flirtation and forbidden homosexuality should make for a great, thought provoking drama, but instead it's just kind of left up there not doing anything special. The performances were solid all around and the 1950's set design was pretty immaculate, but it soom became boring and stale for me. Truly a career achievement for Julianne Moore, but that's about all.
This story was told so beautifully and so amazingly that I am still a little heartbroken. The cast did a fantastic performance, I found it hard to be angry at any character, even Quaid's, becasue each one, no matter what there faults, obviosuly went through hell because of them.
Dennis Haysbert was already a favourtie of mine and his performance in this film has only made that more so, I felt most of all for his character. A poor man who never did anything to anybody, all he did was feel something for a white woman, even then he didn't do anything wrong, he just offered her friendship and believed people would understand two very different people wanting to share a friendship.
This film dealt with such powerful issues, the kind that would not have been so easily received in the decade the film was set (hence it being a moden film set in the 50s rather than a 50s film), and it dealt with them so emotionally and truthfully that I don't see how anyone could ever knock the way this story was portrayed.
Okay while I liked this movie it kind of drifted away from the main subject it started with. When I read the summary of the movie it seemed as though this movie was gonna be about her husband's homosexuality. It slowly strayed away from that all throughout the movie. Every time I blinked there was the gardener. Seemed liked the man was following her. The movie slowly turned into a movie about an interracial affair in the 50's. Plus the fact that the two of them were prancing around town like they had no worries was quite ridiculous. Everywhere they went people were staring. They knew it and still weren't careful. C'mon it was the freakin 50's! Racism was all over the place! Then the fact that their children were getting affected by what they were doing really made me mad. I also hated how her husband played the victim. She stayed rather composed for awhile. I was happy when she finally started to show how she was really feeling. I also hated her friends. All of them were racist and snobby. In a lovelier world her and the gardener could have gotten together and lived happily ever after. But this was the 50's so that didn't happen. I really liked this film a lot. I think it lost it's focus on the whole homosexuality issue. It didn't finish too good on that issue for me. I suppose they wanted to discuss the interracial issue in the movie also. But the interracial issue pushed the homosexuality issue to the side. They were trying to do two things at the same time and it steered the movie in two directions. I did like this movie a lot though. It was rather interesting and it's a nice movie to discuss with other people.
La película es un retrato de las severas conductas sociales y los duros juicios raciales imperantes en la sociedad estadounidense de los 1950 y 1960, y se refleja el tema de la homosexualidad, en sus consecuencias directas, cuando terceras personas y un entorno familiar se ven involucrados. En aquellos años de la posguerra, la homosexualidad era considerada una enfermedad fisiológica y psicológica posiblemente curable, a través de tratamientos que en esta época sonarían descabellados.
El relato es una narración típica de los melodramas hogareños, filmados en Technicolor, de esos años, apostando más por un ejercicio de estilo admirable: música, edición, fotografía y diseño visual que nos remite de inmediato a la obra de Douglas Sirk, en específico, All That Heaven Allows (1955), con Rock Hudson y Jane Wyman.
Julianne Moore, estoica, pero contradictoriamente frágil, ofrecía una actuación digna de su nominación al Oscar...
Más en Pantalla 9 (http://pantallanueve.blogspot.com
EDIT: For anyone familiar with both 50's movies and the nostalgia of those who grew up with them, this is a work of absolute brilliance. It is perhaps too fantastical, and is trying to make points more than tell the story, which is the only reason I didn't give it 5/5.
A beautiful homage to Douglas Sirk. Julianne Moore delivers yet another mesmerizing performance. Visually stunning with a strong and emotionally dense message. Todd Haynes continues to amaze me with his unique choices and odd yet compelling stories.
i cant recall many things about this film . has something from the old melodrama but its not very good cast and JULIAN MOORE ,is nominated for the Oscar
It's not really my type of movie. But it was still good. I'd probably have liked it even more if I didn't have to watch it 1,000 times over for Literature.........
"What lies beneath the surface? What hides behind the walls? What imprisons desires of the heart?" ceritanya menarik sekali, sesuatu yang berbau rasis, cinta yang tidak tersampaikan hingga something lies beneath the surface. posisi dennis quaid mirip dengan posisi kevin kostner dalam mr.brooks, tapi dalam film ini tidak bercerita hanya seputar julianne moore dan dennis quaid, tetapi juga hubungan cinta antara julianne moore dan dennis haysbert yang terbentur dengan masih berlangsungnya tahun-tahun rasis di amerika. mengingatkan gw akan novel karya oka rusmini "tarian bumi" walaupun tidak sama .
CONTAINS SPOILERS! I love this film which plays like a 50s melodrama, which adds to the shock of the revelation that the husband is gay, and it also makes the doomed, extramarital and interracial romance even more compelling. It's very similar to American Beauty as it shows the mystery of appearances and how all is not always as it seems...A masterpiece.
Todd Haynes 'Far From Heaven' captures the essence of the 1950's suburban America perfectly; not just the kitsch furniture and vibrant colours of nature, as well as the now humorous melodrama of the era, but the cruel yet glossy world it was, the sinister masks of its citizens - the dangerous gossip life where you either talked, or be talked about. Julianne Moore is a powerful actress. She fully embraces her characters strengths and faults, and embodies them until you don't see acting at all. The film touches upon the issues of the era, homophobia, class prejudice and racism, but they remain undertones to the story - which really is the tragedy of this woman, whose life is in turmoil simply because of her situation. She lives on the edge when she is both sensible and stable, and every moment her life is tinged with a small glimmer of happiness we can only watch helplessly as it is cruelly and unjustly snatched away from her. Yet still the director does not sweep these issues aside, but makes them part of her tragedy, in a clever build to what is almost beyond a nervous breakdown. The film isn't perfect, but the flaws are insignificant in the grand scheme of things; Haynes has found a level of intelligence and subtlety to base his drama, and it remains consistently delicate and absorbing. It's a slow and tragic metaphor of complete and utter sadness, one which Haynes captures perfectly, and Moore even more so.
Very good movie that is worth watching. Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid shine in this dramatic story of a seemingly perfect family in 1950's CT. Even a "picture perfect" family is open to all the same issues that everyonr faces and more.
Moving, poignant and quite sad. You feel sorry for everyone involved because the blame for their misery lies not on one person but on society in general--the society that interfered in the "unnatural" coming together of a white woman and a black man and, likewise, the closeted gay man forced to hide himself and live in constant secrecy and self-loathing, shielding himself from a cruel world's ostracization with his innocent family and deceivingly normal life. The three principals acted beautifully, this is a well-made film that everyone with a heart should experience.
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