'Higher Ground'

'Higher Ground' (R) (3 1/2 STARS)

Writer: Tim Metcalfe based on memoir "This Dark World" by Carolyn S. Briggs
Director: Vera Farmiga
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Joshua Leonard. Dagmara Dominczyk, Norbert Leo Butz,
Nina Arianda, Bill Irwin, John Hawkes, Donna Murphy, Tarissa Farmiga

Religion has alwasy been a very provocative and controversial subject especially these days. Different people have different beliefs in a higher power and a lot of people struggle with their faith. There are also spiritual people who either don't believe in a higher power or just don't know. The powerful, beautiful and touching movie "Higher Ground" delves into one woman's struggle with her faith. I am not a very religious person but here is a film that moved me and made me think.

The movie is based on a memoir by Carolyn S. Briggs and tells the story of Corinne played by the beautiful and graceful Vera Farmiga who is one of our best actresses. Corinne is a woman who has a major development happen in her life that changes her faith in God. After this major incident Corinne and her husband Ethan join a cultish community and feel a sense of belonging. The whole group is loving and supportive and have a strong belief in God but Corinne sometimes has a struggle with her beliefs.

It doesn't help that the women in this community are often shoved to the background and sometimes supressed by the men. They definitely have a more nurturing role in the group but Corinne sometimes doesn't buy into that role. Her best friend Annika is a major life force and close friend for Corinne and Annika supports Corinne in her struggle. Annika is played by Dagmara Dominczyk in an Oscar caliber performance and it is one of the strongest characters I have seen in a movie this year. There is a major change that happens to Annika that affects Corinne. The character is so strong and memorable that after this incident happens I couldn't stop crying during the movie for at least 15 minutes.

This is such a wonderfully written movie and no matter what your religion is and what your beliefs are this movie will touch your heart. That is because foremost it is a movie about life pure and simple, about family and about the struggle we all have daily with faith. These are memorable characters I will never forget and the movie is thoughtful, true and never felt false to me. The movie starts strong in the beginning and has us hooked, loses a little momentum at times but ends on a beautiful note.

This movie raises a lot of good questions for me about religion and faith. Is religion really as sexist as I think it is? In this story and others about religion I see a lot of woman being treated like second hand citizens. I was rooting for how Corinne and Annika battle this in their group and what develops between Ethan and Corinne in their marriage. If you struggle with faith and sometimes you can't feel God's presence does that make you wrong and a bad person? I like how this movie thoughtfully and carefully delves into these questions.

"Higher Ground" is the directorial debut of actress Vera Farmiga and it is one of the best debuts I have ever seen. She tells this story simply and carefully and lets the characters breathe. There is nothing fancy here but I always felt that the movie felt confident and assured. Farmiga gets great performances by her actors and she herself gives the best performance of her career so far. This is an actress that was so good in "The Departed" and "Up In The Air" and she has a graceful presence and beauty and her performance here is wonderful. There are also great performances by Norbert Leo Butz as Ethan and John Hawkes who is our best character actor working today.

I also love the unforgettable performance by Dagmara Dominczyk as Annika. This is a strong performance and Dogminczyk gives one of the best performances of the year. This is a performance that is so strong that her charcater is always on our mind even when she is not all there on screen. This is a movie that is patient, makes us think and touches us, even those of us that are not religious. Like all great movies it gives us a peek into a real life and we are there with it all the way. It also might spark a lot of discussions between families and church groups and it is a must see for not only religious people but also people that don't believe in any higher power. This is easily one of the best movies of the year!