Upon first glance of the opening scenes of the film, it somewhat resembles Rockwellian landscape where this family lives in a quiet and serene neighborhood with trivial problems that arise occasionally. But as the film progresses, director Todd Haynes slowly unfolds this world that resembles a painting and shows that no one ever has the perfect life. I really wanted to love this movie, but there were such drawbacks that inevitably kept me from truly appreciating the material.
Cathy is a meek housewife who sometimes looks the other way when it applies to her husband and remains loyal nonetheless when he is barely home to spend time with his children. When her girlfriends are bragging about them and their husband’s sexual habits, Cathy merely smiles and listens rather than participating, also, her children rarely ever listen to her when she gives orders but she manages this life with a smile. Charles is a workaholic or so it’s the image he prefers to reflect upon the people around him, including his family who long for his attention on the rare visits to the household. It’s clear upon the first time we see Charles and Cathy together that their relationship is experiencing bumps along the road, even when they attempt to be intimate with one another. Charles leads another life in the shadows and attempts to fix it because rather than admit to himself what he is, and he wants to cling onto the remains of a relationship that is long dead.
The film is more than just a character study but also about conformity and elitism. Cathy is not afraid of African American people nor is she afraid to bond with them, including Raymond the mysterious gardener who befriends her and often consoles her in her most emotional periods. But as soon as everyone in the neighborhood and clubs she belongs to begins noticing their blossoming relationship, Cathy begins pulling back slowly from him emotionally and gives in to the pressure only to be accepted. This film portrays racism in a rather grim tone often breaking the mood and showing people the discomforting bleak nature of hatred and anger. Julian Moore is great and tends to downplay her nature to a great extent. Dennis Quaid gives an equally excellent role as Charles who must deal with his conflicting nature and life, while Dennis Haysbert is reminiscent of Sidney Portier giving a humble and memorable performance as Raymond.
Patricia Clarkson who is such a gifted and magnetic character actress is also under-used in this and resorted to a simple prop often aiding Moore’s character. It’s a shame she’s of more use in indie films rather than such an elegant high profile film as this. It’s evident by the gaudy and some-times overly elegant scenery that director Todd Haynes and cinematographer Ed Lachman are in love with this movie, it’s evident that the movie is in love with itself, so it becomes hard to appreciate anything this film has to offer when it keeps you on the outside looking in rather than being involved within the characters and plotlines with the self-indulgent and often trite material force fed. I didn’t love “Far from Heaven” but appreciated its top notch production quality and array of performances. I wasn’t as enthusiastic as the many others were with this, but it’s worth a watch for arthouse fans.