In 1950s Connecticut, a housewife faces a marital crisis and mounting racial tensions in the outside world.
The visually stunning opening to Todd Haynes" Far From Heaven sets the tone for a wonderfully atmospheric 50"s nostalgia-fest, all this despite the presence of disturbingly Neighbours-like credits. Tragically, the somewhat vital area of plot does not quite equal the sublime cinematography.
In suburban Connecticut in 1957, Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) spends her days playing cards with friends and planning parties to impress her husband"s business colleagues. Although this appears a shallow existence, Cathy seems content choosing dinner services (and who wouldn"t get excited by a table setting with aqua trim?) and nagging her freakishly wholesome children. However, in possibly one of the best cinematic examples of character"s moods being reflected in their surroundings, as the trees of New England shed their leaves and people"s clothes become more sombre, the story darkens and cracks begin to appear in Cathy"s fragile happiness. Her husband Frank (Dennis Quaid turning in his best performance of recent years) fails to return home for dinner one evening and telephone call summons Cathy to bail him out of jail.
At this point, the plot begins to veer from telling a poignant and interesting tale of the character"s lives to resorting to cliché and overzealous sentimentality to capture the audience"s imaginations. It turns out that instead of working late, Frank has been frequenting gay clubs and, after Cathy walks in on one of his romantic assignations, he aggress to undergo the highly plausible "homosexual conversion" procedure. The strain of therapy turns him to drink and, eventually, domestic violence, which in turn causes Cathy to seek comfort in the arms of black gardener Raymond (Dennis Haysbert), much to the consternation of society as a whole.
Their marriage could not possibly survive all of these traumas and, to a certain extent, neither can the legitimacy of the film. In attempting to explore so many of the taboos of that period, the film is unable to tackle any of them in depth. Despite it being the 1950s, it would appear that no one is particularly bothered when Frank decides to leave his family and move in with his younger, male lover. On the other hand, the idea of a white woman and a black man forming a relationship provokes a violent reaction from both communities despite the fact that the relationship itself is negligible and sloppily handled. Despite excellent performances from both Moore and Haysbert, it is difficult to believe that their characters would form a close bond based on the view exchanges that occur between them.
Far From Heaven is an eminently watchable film, it is beautifully shot and the actors are without exception of the highest calibre.
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. In 1950s Connecticut, a housewife faces a marital crisis and mounting racial tensions in the outside world.
Todd Haynes' tale of 1950s prejudices in America. Housewife Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) thinks she has the perfect set-up; two children, a successful husband (Dennis Quaid) and a house in the suburbs. But this vision is shattered one night when she surprises her husband at work and finds him in the arms of another man. Not able to tell anyone in her social circle, she finds solace with their African-American gardener, Raymond (Dennis Haysbert). However, when they are seen alone together by Cathy's best friend (Celia Weston) - a social taboo in that era - the gossip begins and this threatens to reveal the Whitaker's secret life.
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