Not that “far” off but still no “heaven”

I try not to read other reviews of films before I write about them myself, but in the case of ‘Far From Heaven,’ the buzz was unavoidable: just a brief check online will show that most critics consider writer/director Todd Haynes’ latest to be if not the savior of the cinema, then at least one of the best movies of the year. And, certainly, there’s a lot to admire here. ‘Heaven,’ which is essentially a modern take on the Douglas Sirk melodramas of the 1950s, features some impeccable performances, gorgeous cinematography and interesting ideas.

But the sum of the parts doesn’t seem to create a satisfying whole. The film plays more like a strange experiment, its anachronistic style yielding a surreal sense of detachment where the emotion is presumably supposed to be. The basic conceit of ‘Far From Heaven’ borrows heavily from Sirk, particularly ‘All That Heaven Allows,’ in which a widow (Jane Wyman) falls for her younger gardener (Rock Hudson), much to the dismay of their straitlaced community. In Haynes’ vision, we meet Frank and Cathy Whitaker (Dennis Quaid and Julianne Moore), the ‘perfect’ ’50s suburban family. Every cliché you could cull from watching the movies and television of the era is here, reproduced to eerily accurate effect. From the pastel dresses, to the maudlin musical swells, to the awkward, ‘Aw, shucks!’ dialogue, it’s all here. And, since we know this is a film made in 2002, and not in 1957, it’s just plain bizarre to watch sometimes.

At any rate, the veil is soon torn away from the Whitakers’ seemingly idyllic existence. One night, while dropping dinner off at Frank’s office, Cathy discovers her husband kissing another man. Before long, Frank is visiting a doctor, determined to ‘cure’ himself of his long-repressed homosexuality. Cathy, meanwhile, continues to play the role of happy homemaker around everyone she knows, with the notable exception of Raymond (Dennis Haysbert), the black gardener. Between Frank’s gradual, alcohol-soaked implosion and Cathy’s time spent with Raymond keeping in mind that this is 1957 when such things still turned heads it doesn’t take long for the rumor mill to start churning.

The genius of ‘Far From Heaven,’ one imagines, is supposed to be how it gives a more direct treatment to those issues that simply couldn’t be addressed in films 40 or 50 years ago namely, homosexuality and interracial relationships and show how they are still relevant today. But, we didn’t need Todd Haynes to tell us that, as a society, we still have problems related to sexuality and race, nor did we need him to point out that it’s good to embrace our identities regardless of our prejudices.

So, then, what’s the point? To subvert our current value system by comparing it to shallow 1950s ideals? In the film’s production notes, quotes from Haynes seem to hint at such, but ultimately, it’s still not telling us much we didn’t already know. What’s most problematic for ‘Heaven,’ however, isn’t a lack of insight, but rather a lack of emotional involvement. Haynes calls his film ‘hyperreal,’ suggesting that, despite the lack of realism, melodramas such as this one contain some high-fallutin’ brand of emotional truth. But,while the characters in ‘Far From Heaven’ certainly do experience their share of trials and tribulations, it’s difficult to really sympathize with them. Knowing that the film was aiming specifically for a ’50s vibe makes it seem too much like a gimmick, and while Haynes deserves credit for avoiding out and out parody, any sincerity he was hoping for gets glossed over by the style. Once again, this is 2002; we can’t expect to connect all that much with a character who looks and acts like she just rolled off the June Cleaver assembly line.

Hence, the view of ‘Far From Heaven’ as an experiment of sorts: an interesting film that perhaps should be more interesting than it is, but is nonetheless exceedingly well crafted. All three leads are pitch-perfect; Moore’s work here rivals one of her best performances, in ‘Safe,’ another film by Haynes. Edward Lachman’s cinematography uses bright hues to evoke the good ol’ days of Technicolor, and the results are absolutely stunning. There is a lot of talent on display here, but the undercurrent of artificiality keeps the drama at arm’s length.

Todd Haynes is clearly a fascinating and talented filmmaker who is unafraid to take risks. As an admirer of his earlier work, such as the viscerally enjoyable ‘Velvet Goldmine,’ I found it strange that this film should seem so cold for all its attempts at the opposite. The melodramas of the 1950s worked because they were the product of the times. ‘Far From Heaven’ falls short because there is always the nagging feeling that the whole thing is just fake.