Far From Heaven

Red leaves tumble through the air landing softly on green grass, landing in front of a charming brick home located in a normal suburban neighborhood in Hartford Connecticut. Although the exterior is perfectly kept and innocent, the contents of the household are in turmoil. This is not the first time in film history, that we the audience view a film where there is something more going on under the surface.

This set-up was reminiscent of films in the 40's and 50's by Douglas Sirk, who was fascinated with unearthing the issues of the heart. His dramas reeked with tension and deep yearning for something that, due to societal restrictions, was out of reach for the main character. Far From Heaven's director, Todd Haynes, undoubtedly stepped in this great director's shadow as he made this film. It follows a family in which, Julianne Moore, a mother of two and an all around wonderful housewife and member of society, discovers that her husband has secrets, which will change their life and reputation forever. Starved for true friends and affection, she becomes friendly with the Gardner, who is African American. This relationship, although beneficial for her, is detrimental to her family and she must part from him. This story is very touching and portrays the unfairness of life and it's limitations.

Douglas Sirk tackled these issues in most of his films, but in particular, All That Heaven Allows, was a film very similar to this one, where a widower falls in love with her Gardener and must choose society's ways and her children's happiness, over her own passions. Not only the story, but also the colors, dialogue and usage of mirrors are directly related to the style Sirk used in his melodramas. Sirk loved using mirrors to show the audience the duplicity of his characters. He also used mirrors so that the character could look deeply and truly evaluate themselves as people. This tactic, I believe, helped to reveal the main character to the audience, in the moment of their contemplation, as if we were making the decision too. In Far From Heaven there are a few instances where Julianne Moore's character looks into the mirror at her self. One in particular is when she decides to go see the Gardener, Raymond, one last time. Douglas Sirk was not an activist, but in a way he brought these deeply imbedded prejudices in the American culture to the surface through his films and Todd Haynes has succeeded in doing so again in Far From Heaven.

This film is not one you rent from red box for a dollar and watch with your loved one cuddled on the couch, or with your buddies on a Friday night while eating your eighth slice of pizza, however it brings something to the art of filmmaking that is peculiar and beautiful, and shouldn't be any less appreciated. So I would say pop a bag of popcorn with extra butter (to help ease the pain) and enjoy not just Far From Heaven, but also any of Douglas Sirk's masterpieces such as Imitation of Life, All That Heaven Allows or There's Always Tomorrow.