Vera Farmiga’s ‘Higher Ground’ is godly

Talented actress Vera Farmiga makes an impressive directorial debut with the new religious drama, Higher Ground. The small film that asks big questions shatters any preconceived notions that Hollywood or society may have had about faithful Christians. It is one of the most honest films about spirituality to ever hit movie theaters. Its novelty can be found in the quiet dignity it uses to tell a story of average people intimately in touch with their spirituality. They don’t come across as fundamentalists, crazy Tea Party Republicans or Kool-Aid-swigging cultists. They are a community who believes in God — it’s that refreshingly simple.

Farmiga plays Corinne, a woman with a good heart and strong religious beliefs. She loves her husband, Ethan (Joshua Leonard), and adores her children. But happiness wasn’t always a facet of her life.

She grew up in a semi-broken household where her parents (Donna Murphy and John Hawkes) fought constantly and eventually divorced. Corinne (played as a young lady by Farmiga’s own daughter, Taissa)  and Ethan had a rough honeymoon period. Poverty and screaming babies were the norm. Drinking and casual sex occurred frequently. They seemed doomed for divorce, an unlikely couple that simple married because a baby was on the way.

One particular incident changes Corrine’s trajectory: She almost witnesses her youngest child drown in a lake following a bus accident. The fact that the baby lives sends Corinne and Ethan from the doldrums of depression to the wooden pews of a nearby church.

After setting up her backstory, we meet Corinne as an adult mother at the time of her baptism and official welcoming into a community of Christians. They are traditional and their patriarchal ways seem restricting, but there’s no denying that Farmiga and screenwriters Carolyn S. Briggs and Tim Metcalfe want to present these characters as genuinely good people who struggle with deeper questions of family and faith.

The supporting cast is a who’s who of accomplished Broadway stars. In addition to Murphy as Corinne’s mother, Nina Arianda plays her sister, while Bill Irwin and Norbert Leo Butz turn up as pastors.

Despite having this inspiring support structure, Corinne begins to realize that she can’t help but doubt her beliefs. She never wavers in her adoration of God, but she’s not sure if this community worship is her religious style. Her dresses are called into question by the elders for attracting the eyes of the men. When she speaks up at a prayer session, she is soon rebuked for “preaching.” She may be too liberal for these good folk.

As we watch this woman struggle with deep questions about her life, Farmiga’s brilliance as an actress comes into focus. She carries the story of Corinne in her beautiful facial movements. You can tell that her outward appearance quickly becomes a façade. Something red hot is simmering just beneath the surface, dying to escape. Whether it’s her fantasies about breaking her marriage vows, or reading controversial books like Lord of the Flies, she wants out of her existence, at least just to see what the other side looks like.

Higher Ground, which began as a memoir by Briggs, always keeps its head held high and never reduces its plot and characters to contrivances and caricatures. Hopefully, this movie will serve as a breath of fresh air for Hollywood. It’s not meant to be revolutionary, but it kind of is. You just don’t see authentic people of faith up on the silver screen. Prayerful adherents to the major religions simply aren’t sexy enough to sustain one’s interest (at least in a producer’s eyes).

Farmiga smartly and bravely bucks this trend by embracing Corrine and never letting her fall victim to cliche. It’s a bravura performance and an even bolder directorial debut. Higher Ground is up there with the gods.

• Higher Ground

• 2011

• Directed by Vera Farmiga

• Written by Carolyn S. Briggs and Tim Metcalfe; based on the book by Briggs

• Starring Farmiga, Joshua Leonard, Taissa Farmiga, Donna Murphy, John Hawkes, Norbert Leo Butz, Nina Arianda, Bill Irwin, Dagmara Dominczyk and Michael Chernus

• Running time: 109 minutes

• Rated R for some language and sexual content

• Rating: