Far from Heaven (2002)
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Far from Heaven Movie Review
Far from Heaven is a 2002 period drama film directed by Todd Haynes and starring Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid. It is such a beautiful movie.
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“I’ve learned my lesson about mixing in other worlds.
I’ve seen the sparks fly. All kinds.“
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In 1950s Connecticut, a housewife develops a friendship with a black man while her husband is having affairs with other men. I absolutely love this film. It took me by surprise and I adored every second of it. Douglas Sirk was a clear influence on this movie as he is the director that was famous for these 50s melodramas dealing with important social issues. ‘All That Heaven Allows’ was the biggest influence on this film due to its forbidden love narrative.
With all that being said, I disagree entirely with the notion that this movie is a copy of those Sirk pictures. Quite on the contrary, this is the quintessential example of how to do homage, but also do your own thing. It’s the perfect mixture of of modern and old-fashioned sensibilities. It is a film that could have been made in the fifties, but only on the surface as no movie back then could have dealt with race and sexuality in such a frank manner.
One could say that including both of these issues in a single movie makes the conceit implausible, but both themes were seamlessly incorporated, so the end product is one that is immaculately edited, paced and structured. What I admired above all else is Haynes’ sophisticated script that refused to acknowledge that this is a modern movie set in the past. By portraying these issues through the lens of the society of that time, the film literally embodied and became a fifties picture, which was beyond impressive.
The film also cleverly portrays how being black and being gay were similar, but also divergent from each other back in this decade. There was at least a starting point for the black rights movement back at this time, but no such movement existed for LGBT people. This was showcased in the movie’s treatment of gay male encounters that are not only shrouded in secrecy, but also utter embarrassment.
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Julianne Moore should have won an Oscar for portraying Cathy. She was incredible here. This is one of her best performances as she embodied the role perfectly, literally becoming a 50s housewife both in her excellent hairstyle and make-up as well as her perfectly depicted demure ladylike demeanor. Her arc is highly emotional and I cared so much for Cathy that the ending felt even more heartbreaking.
Dennis Quaid was only the fourth choice to play Frank, but he was still very good in the role and quite believable. The film’s approach to depict not just the gay male suffrage, but the tragedy of the wife in that scenario was admirable as Cathy is just as much of a victim in this situation. Dennis Haysbert was also terrific as the wonderful Raymond and that central romance was both sweet and inherently tragic. Patricia Clarkson also impresses in a smaller role as Cathy’s initially understanding best friend.
Far from Heaven benefits from inspired cinematography that consists of the color hue and lens that are very much reminiscent of those movies from the fifties. Couple that with an immense emphasis on the fall season and you’ve got a movie that is gorgeous in its Technicolor palette, but also fittingly colorful narratively speaking as the whole movie is about deconstructing the fabric of the perfect suburban life in this period.
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The score is also beautiful and fittingly somber in its tone while the production design is fantastic too. There are a couple of overly convenient plot points here and there, but for the most part the screenplay is brilliant and Todd Haynes’ directing is highly accomplished.
