Being a gifted actor is not a guarantee of talent behind the camera, even though many an actor has scratched the directing itch. But given the depth and thoughtfulness of Vera Farmiga’s performances, it doesn’t come as a surprise that her directing debut is distinctive and unpredictable.
Farm
iga is the pale-eyed lady from “The Departed” and “Up in the Air” and, lately, “Source Code.” She projects such a soulful demeanor that even in the well-executed gimmickry of the latter film, her character embodies a real human touch.
She has directed “Higher Ground,” in which she plays the leading part. But this is less a shameless actor’s showcase than a serious (but not somber) look at the place of religion in a woman’s life as she marries, has a family, is born again and dives deeply into the strict Christian community surrounding her.
It’s based on a memoir by Carolyn S. Briggs. Farmiga’s attitude is remarkably even-handed: The fundamentalist Christians she depicts are neither above criticism nor are they mocked. Humor and sincerity go hand in hand, and the focus remains on her character’s journey toward figuring out just who she is and why she lives this way.
When her character, Corrine, wonders why she can’t speak in tongues the way her best friend can, it leads to some genuinely funny scenes of Corrine trying to summon up the voices, scenes that are all the better because Farmiga plays them like a real person, not a comedian trying to get laughs.
Her own performance is fresh, authentic and occasionally interrupted by bawdy laughter. She’s gotten good work from the rest of the cast, too: Joshua Leonard (one of the “Humpday” guys) is apt casting as Corrine’s sometimes ploddingly earnest musician husband, Dagmara Dominczyk surely has a breakthrough role as a loyal but lively religious wife and Leo Norbert Butz contributes an eerily calm presence as a pastor.
Scenes of Corrine’s childhood are especially well drawn, as Farmiga’s younger sister, Taissa, plays the role of her teenage self. The resemblance is spooky.
“Higher Ground” has its big moments, like cancer and a car accident and a scary domestic dispute. But it doesn’t play like a conventional movie. A better filmmaker might have rounded off its rough edges, but might also have lost what is distinctive and thought-provoking about it.
The ending isn’t rounded off, either; Corrine is literally standing half in, half out of a doorway when we last see her. That’s as it should be. The movie understands that everybody is perpetually in transit, even if we think we’ve reached higher ground.
“Higher Ground” 3½ stars
Vera Farmiga directs and plays the lead role in this adaptation of a memoir by Carolyn S. Briggs, about a woman’s experiences being born again and living in a strict religious community. The movie is serious without being somber, and it’s full of fine performances, not least by its soulful leading lady.
Rated: R for language, subject matter.
Showing: Guild 45th.
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