Queer Review: Far From Heaven (2002)

Far From Heaven
Director: Todd Haynes
Writer: Todd Haynes
Cast: Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, Patricia Clarkson

Overview
A melodrama made in the middle of the first decade of the 21st Century, Far From Heaven is director Todd Haynes' homage to the soap operas of Douglas Sirk.

Synopsis
On the surface, the Whitiker family appear to be a normal and well adjusted family living in 1950s Connecticut. However the family patriarch Frank (Dennis Quaid) has a problem, namely a desire to have sex with men in a time and place when any "unnatural" sexual hunger is highly taboo and when he acts upon it, he finds himself trouble with the law. While Frank begins undergoing treatment, his wife Cathy (Julianne Moore) finds her world shaken and her only other source of support in a close friend Eleanore Fine (Patricia Clarkson). Eventually, Cathy finds herself turning to comfort from a black man, Raymond Deagan (Dennis Haysbert) only to find out that racism was not limited to a Jimmie Crowe in the south. When her friends find out, Cathy finds herself going from a respected party host to social leper.

The Queering
It is clear from watching Far From Heaven that Todd Haynes went to extraordinary lengths to capture the look and feel of a film made during the 1950's. Take away the sub-plot with Frank struggling with his sexuality and Far From Heaven could have been made during the height of the Hays Code. Colours are garishly overstated with greens and purples taking prominence. Visually, this creates a rather memorable look and the Oscar nomination cinematographer Edward Lachman garnered for his work here was highly deserved.

Overall, this is a strong movie, although not a great one. I admired what director Todd Haynes accomplished here but did not always find myself enthralled with it. Haynes clearly has a gift for drawing out most subtle work from his actors and establishing the right mood for a scene. Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Patricia Clarkson, and Dennis Haysbert all give sublime performances. The main quibble I had with the acting was not the fault of any of the performers, but I did keep expecting Dennis Haysbert, who is now the Progressive insurance company spokesperson, to turn around and try to sell car insurance to Cathy.

The most compelling aspect of Far From Heaven is Cathy's journey from respected party host to social leper and the sub-plot with the greatest interest - at least to a queer audience - is regulated to the background. The main plot of course is Cathy's struggles with racism and other McCarthy era prejudices. While one senses that Haynes was intending to make a connection between racism and homophobia, he never explicitly does so, at least not in the way Philadelphia did.

Most movies present the greatest danger from racism as being the violence faced by racial minorities and ignore the damage done by the social and institutional bigotry that has always existed in this country. Far From Heaven takes a different approach, not only is it set in a northern state, but shows how much damage can be wrought by this societal cancer, not by showing the violence, but rather how both Cathy and Raymond are forced to suffer by the rules that ultimately force them apart. Similarly, Frank is also never subjected to actual violence but the psychological harm from the repression that he has undergone shows in every aspect of Quaid's performance.

Overall, this is an interesting film with a lot going for it, even if at times I was never really drawn into the characters struggles. I felt more often then not, that I really was watching the characters through a barrier of more then 50 years. However, given the parameters that Haynes forced himself to work within, what he actually accomplished is commendable.

Recommendation
Strongly recommended. This movie is not quite so far from heaven as the title suggests.

The Rating

Trailer


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Queer Review: The Hours (2002)

The Hours
Director: Stephen Daldry
Writer: David Hare. Based upon the novel by Michael Cunningham.
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, Stephen Dillane, Miranda Richardson, John C. Reilly, Ed Harris, Toni Collette

Overview
The Hours uses a premise that is so simple it might be considered a gimmick - tell the story of three different women of the course of a single day. This is similar to the premise of Mrs. Dalloway, from which Michael Cunningham got the inspiration to write his novel that the film was based upon. When I first saw The Hours in the theater, it was thanks to a literature professor who had assigned viewing the film as an extra credit for the class I was taking. I loved it so much, that I went back and viewed it a second time the next day. While viewing it recently in order to write this review, it's flaws were a little more apparent to me, but I would still label it a personal favorite of mine.

Synopsis
Three women from different time periods, struggle with depression, suicidal thoughts, and various other issues during the course of a single day.

In the 1920's Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman), finds herself beginning a new book, which will become Mrs. Dalloway while the simple tasks she must deal with, such as managing the household servants, nearly prove overwhelming. Woolf also finds herself wishing desperatly to move back to London, a move staunchly opposed by her husband, Leonard Woolf (Stephen Dillane).

The second story takes place in the 1950's and is about a repressed housewife, Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) who struggles with raising her son and the task of preparing a party for her husband. While reading Mrs. Dalloway she finds herself awakened to various possibilities to her life, including the possibility of suicide.

The third story features an New York City editor, Clarissa Vaughan, who represents a modern day Mrs. Dalloway. Clarissa is throwing a party for her gay friend Richard (Ed Harris), who won a prestigious prize for his poetry, yet is dying of AIDS. During these preparations, she finds herself reflecting on the choices she made and the path that led to where she is now.

The Queering
I must admit to having tried to read Mrs. Dalloway and also, to having failed in that endeavor. While both the book and the film version of The Hours revolve around the themes of Mrs. Dalloway, there is no requirement that one has read Woolf's novel in order to understand The Hours. What is necessary that one be able to understand the characters and also be willing to invest some effort into understanding their circumstances. Those who are unwilling to make those leaps, will find themselves watching a film featuring a bunch of unsympathetic, whiny characters.

The title The Hours comes from a working title for Mrs. Dalloway and is crucial to understanding the main themes of the film. This is not a movie about big life changing events, it is about the little moments we struggle through each day. That is, the hours each of the main characters must endure in order just to survive.

There are no traditional villains here, merely minute misunderstandings that have come together to form barriers more impenetrable then concrete walls. Each of the three leads suffer from not being able to express themselves entirely, either publicly or to their romantic partners. Woolf and Brown because they lived in an age when female sexuality, and in particularly lesbianism, was taboo, and Vaughn for more complicated reasons that are never quite made clear.

One complaint that could be leveled against The Hours is that the characters very rarely speak the way ordinary people do, but rather in a poetic and generally more insightful fashion than the average person. This may or may not be a hindrance, depending on ones philosophy of art and how closely one feels dramatic productions should hue to naturalistic stylings.

Director Stephen Daldry makes good use of technical elements (cinematography, editing, music) to blend the three stories seamlessly together to make it feel as if though one was watching one singular narrative, rather than three disconnected ones. One character, who provides a concrete connection between the last two stories helps immensely. Speaking of the technical side, they are all superbly executed overall. The strongest parts of The Hours are the writing and the acting, although on my most recent viewing, I was a bit surprised to find myself noting just how good the cinematography was.

I have come across quiet a few people who view The Hours as nothing more than pretentious, depressing, and boring, Oscar bait. Obviously, I could not disagree with that point of view more. My opinion of The Hours is that it is a superlative motion picture and a defining moment in film for queer cinema.

Recommendation
I did say this was one of my favorites, right? Highly recommended.

The Rating

Trailer



Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the Title Index, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.

Queer Review: The Kids Are All Right (2010)

The Kids Are All Right
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Writers: Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
Cast: Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson

The Kids Are All Right is a small movie that gained a lot of attention due to featuring a lesbian couple as parents. It manages to be both smartly perceptive and a little vanilla at the same time. I also could not help thinking that this all looked like what might happen if Barbara Kingsolver were to write a lesbian version of American Beauty. Admittedly though, the only reason I mentally made that comparison is because Annette Bening plays similar roles in both movies as the Kids Are All Right lacks both American Beauty's dark humor and violent ending.

The premise is simple, Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening) are a happily married conservative lesbian couple, whose two teenagers, Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson), decide to contact their family sperm donor. When the kids meet Paul (Mark Ruffalo) and then later introduce him to their parents, a chain of events is set in motion, that reveals the cracks in Jules and Nic's previously stable relationship. The highly controlling Nic resents the amount of time her kids start to spend with Paul. Jules, on the other hand, starts a sexual affair with Paul, further straining her relationship with Nic.

The title The Kids Are All Right refers to every parents fear that their kids are not going to be all right and that any mistakes made will cause irreparable damage to their offspring. As Jules and Nic are both Mom's, these fears appear to have been amplified in their case. The underlying theme therefore, is that in spite of the flaws that most parents possess, kids can still turn out all right.

Overall, this is a well put together movie, with some nicely shot and edited sequences, such as when Nic finds out about the Jules and Paul's affair. Another plus is that there is no overwrought melodrama or "shocking" plot twists. Acting wise, there are no standouts, but each member of the cast turns in a better than adequate work. While there are no showy performances, there is a lot of subtlety to be found, even in Mark Ruffalo's role as a laid back bachelor who finds himself questioning his life choices following the revelation that he is a biological father.

The Kids Are All Right is a small movie, in spite of the big name cast. There are no major revelations into the human condition, just a lot of smaller insights. Also, no earthshaking plot twists occur, just some nicely modulated dramatic turns. There is nothing about the movie that can be called "great". However, it is earnest and tries hard. At the end of the day, I would say that's all right.