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HIS WILL NOT OURS
HIGHER GROUND (R) Religion and cinema
rarely mix well, particularly when it comes
to representations of Christianity. Recent
American movies tend to either envision Jesus
Christ as a quasi superhero (The Passion of the
Christ anyone?) or offer up simplistic morality
tales supporting one's belief with little to no
conflict, such as the preaching-to-the-choir
products of Alex Kendrick and the Sherwood
Baptist Church (Fireproof, Courageous). More
prominent still is the trope of portraying
Christians as close-minded bigots, easy targets
designed to comfort
the non-believing audi
ence. You want spiritual
complexity? Stick with
Michael Totkin's The
Rapture or Malick's The
Tree of Life instead.
In actress Vera
Farmiga's directorial
debut, Higher Ground.
the issue of faith in
the modern world is
taken seriously, though
the film also offers up a surprising amount of
humor and warmth. Loosely based on Carolyn
S. Briggs' book, This Dark World: A Memoir of
Salvation Found and Lost, the movie examines
the life of Corinne Briggs (Vera Farmiga) as
she enthusiastically embraces fundamental
ist "Jesus Freak" Christianity in the hippie-
drenched 1970s with her husband, Ethan
(Joshua Leonard), a failed aspiring rock musi
cian. In high school, Corinne (played during
these scenes by Taissa Farmiga) is a sensitive
student who dreams of becoming a writer, but
after a traumatic incident while accompanying
Ethan's band on the road, the young couple
devote their lives to religion. At first, life with
Jesus in Corinne’s heart is a profound experi
ence, though she eventually struggles with
doubt when tragedy strikes a close friend and
hardships in her marriage escalate. Eventually,
she becomes spiritually unmoored.
For a first-time director, Farmiga is assured
and unfussy, allowing scenes to play out with
a refreshing natural
ness. She's also gener
ous with her fellow
actors, giving them
ample opportunities
to shine, even when
she's the focus. John
Hawkes gives another
sturdy performance as
Corinne's father, and
Dagmara Dominczyk
infuses the movie
with a fleshy solidity.
Farmiga's performance, however, is the real
pulse of the picture, empathetically depicting
a woman wrestling with an inner turmoil that
is simultaneously moving and multifaceted.
There are missteps along the way—the dream
sequences feel forced and there are moments
of symbolic heavy-handedness—but Higher
Ground is a leap worth savoring.
Derek Hill
Vera Farmiga
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