Review of Far from Heaven (2002) by Kevin N — 30 Oct 2008

Hard to believe this received four academy award nominations. This movie fell victim to its own ambition. The producers said they wanted to make a film in the style of the melodramas of the fifties, but with 21st century sensibilities.

The sets and the costumes and the brilliant color palette all hit their marks. However, the script seemed stilted and the acting stiff, at least in the early stages. By the time the emotional land mines were encountered, the film ran a little more true.

Now to the story. Apparently, in the fifties, a white woman being friends with a black man, even in the Yankee north, was more scandalous than finding out your husband is attracted to men. The irony of Kathy (Julianne Moore) finding someone "outside" the situation to confide in, thereby bringing him "inside" was not lost on this viewer.

But because that outsider was her gardener, Raymond (Dennis Haysbert), everyone in the town reacts with disdain. Even Kathy's best friend, Eleanor (Patricia Clarkson) turns away at the news that she has befriended a black man.

The prejudice is not confined to the whites, however as the persecution that Raymond experiences from his own people ultimately provides the obstacle that cannot be overcome. I had hoped that those days were long gone, but this current election season seems to indicate that we have not yet fully achieved MLK's dream.

A good, solid film, just not great.