Review of Far from Heaven (2002) by Ned P — 18 Sep 2008

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.