before this river becomes an ocean

[chouchoot]

title: higher ground
director/screenwriter: vera farmiga
category: u.s. dramatic competition
rating: 3 out of 5



higher ground tells the story of one woman's awakening and growth, woven on the tapestry of spirituality and the school of hard knocks. director and screenwriter vera farmiga also stars as the lead, a woman named corinne. she "gives yet another richly nuanced performance, [tackling] complex issues with sophistication and graceful insight, crafting a moving story about the transformative powers of faith and doubt." (source.)

while it is obvious farmiga is skilled--the script, direction, and pacing were impeccable--i found my interpretation of the storyline to be impressively biased: that embracing faith is the antithesis of being an interesting human being. the film portrays faith as an inevitability, an easy solution, a consolation prize for living life. hallelujah? by the end of the film, i felt strongly that the characters' enlightenment was more of a plot fail, a dead-end, than a solace.

the audiences loved this film, though. but there is a strength to farmiga's story--either her story, or her storytelling--that felt palpable, honest, beautiful. flawed, but beautiful. many scenes felt candid and raw, autobiographical. in all the ways that good cinema can be, i found higher ground polarizing: a film that read, to me, like a manifesto for atheism far more than a testament to how awesome god is; others (like those many behind me singing along with the closing credits hymn, for serious) undoubtedly felt buoyant, connected. walking out of the theatre that night, i ruminated on this, and wondered if this open interpretation was indeed the intention of the director. maybe i'd know more if i had stayed for the Q&A.

Comments

[firthofforth.livejournal.com]

we follow Farmiga as a general rule, so I'm sure we'll be seeing this at some point.

but now I'm intrigued...i usually have the same sort of responses to portrayals of faith (pure or complex). i can appreciate the...simplicity it offers. the answers. i can appreciate the sacrifices that have been made in the name of faith...but at the end of the day, I can never tell if my tears are for the beauty theists seem to feel, or for their utter lack of a grasp on reality.