Logan (2017 film)

Based on the Marvel Comics character Wolverine created by Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and John Romita Jr. and a storyline by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven, Logan revolves around an aging mutant who deals with mortality as he cares for his aging mentor and the discovery of a young girl who has powers similar to his as they’re being chased by anti-mutant forces. Directed by James Mangold and screenplay by Mangold, Scott Frank, and Michael Green, the film is the third film of an unofficial trilogy of the Wolverine/Logan character that is played by Hugh Jackman with Patrick Stewart as the ailing Charles Xavier/Professor X. Also starring Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Dafne Keen, Eriq La Salle, Elise Neal, and Elizabeth Rodriguez. Logan is an enthralling yet heart-wrenching film from James Mangold.

It’s 2029 as mutants are nearly extinct with not a single one has been born in 25 years as the film revolves around an aging mutant who has given up trying to do good preferring to work as a limo driver in order to buy a yacht for himself and his ailing mentor Charles Xavier. During this time, Logan is being pursued by a nurse who has a young girl with her as she would later reveal to have powers similar to what Logan has in terms of its super-healing and using adamantium claws to attack. The girl is being pursued by a mysterious organization who want her where Logan and Xavier learn why as they decide to protect her and drive her to a mysterious sanctuary. The film’s screenplay is really more of a character study that relates to the Wolverine who has basically forsaken that name as he has reverted to his birth name in James Howlett. He’s also drinking to cope with the fact that he’s lost so many friends and has been unable to help forcing himself to just live by whatever job he can get to help himself and Charles with help from an albino mutant/tracker in Caliban (Stephen Merchant).

During a call for his limo service, Logan meets this nurse in Gabriella (Elizabeth Rodriguez) who offers him money to take her and this young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) to North Dakota near the Canadian border. Yet, Logan has been encounter by a militant named Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) to go after Laura where Logan and Xavier learn why Pierce wants Laura as it relates to a big revelation about a new generation of mutants who are being experimented on as an army with Laura and several others having escaped. Logan reluctantly takes Laura to North Dakota with the ailing Xavier who would have these monstrous seizures that would nearly freeze everything around him as his telepathic powers have become unstable due to his age. It makes Logan’s mission more difficult as he is also becoming ill due to the effects of the adamantium in his body that has made him age and his healing powers becoming much slower as well as ineffective. There is also this element of myth as it relates to Logan seeing that Laura has been carrying comic books that relate to his character as it drives him away from wanting to help her out. It’s that internal struggle that Logan faces in wanting to help but often faces obstacles where many others would be hurt or killed along the way.

James Mangold’s direction is definitely adventurous in terms of the setting but also quite confrontational as it relates to the violence as the film opens with a hungover Logan passed out on his limo being awoken by a gang trying to steal his hubcaps where he ends up killing them. Shot on various locations in New Orleans, various cities in New Mexico, and areas in Louisiana and Mississippi, the film does play into this mixture of the western, road movie, adventure, and drama as it relates to the humanity that Logan is trying to distance himself from. Mangold would use some wide shots for some of the vast locations Logan, Xavier, and Laura would go to as they’re being chased by Pierce and his army known as Reavers who capture remaining mutants they need. Though much of the film is set in various locations in the American Southwest including Mexico with some of it set in Las Vegas.

Mangold does maintain that sense of the western as it relates to the role that Logan is playing as well as one of the references Mangold uses in a film that Xavier and Laura watch. The film also has Mangold do something simple as it relates to the need of compassion and to help others when Logan, Xavier, and Laura meet a family in need of help as Logan does and they get shelter in return as it’s a brief moment of peace which is something Xavier needed as he had been filled with regrets for much of his life. The film’s third act is about Logan coping with something he never thought he would face which is mortality as he is aware of the fallacy of immortality having seen so many friends come and gone. Especially in moments that are quite brutal as Mangold doesn’t shy away from the fact that the film is very violent with lots of blood and deaths that are shocking to watch as it play into that struggle of humanity that Logan seems to lose faith on.

The third act which is set in the mountains where Laura, who had been largely silent, find these other mutant children who had been on the run is a moment where Logan sees a future that could be hopeful but doesn’t want to get close to it thinking he could undo it. The film’s climax isn’t just this showdown between Logan and these forces who want these children for their own reason but also everything Logan never wanted to be as well as to ensure this young girl that she never becomes what many evil forces wanted him to be. It’s a moment that is powerful but also heartbreaking as it conveys loss but also hope for a future generation. Overall, Mangold creates a visceral yet evocative film about a lost mutant who regains his purpose in life to help those in need of help including a young girl.

Cinematographer John Mathieson does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it play into the sunny look of the American Southwest in its various locations as well as the usage of lights for some of the scenes set at night plus the abandoned compound where Logan, Caliban, and Xavier live in with its shades and such. Editors Michael McCusker and Dirk Westervelt do brilliant work with the editing as it captures the energy in the action while knowing when to slow down for the dramatic scenes without deviating too much into conventional editing styles. Production designer Francois Audouy, with set decorator Peter Lando and supervising art director Chris Farmer, does amazing work with the look of the abandoned factory/compound that Logan, Caliban, and Xavier live in as well as the farm home of the family Logan, Xavier, and Laura meet plus this mysterious lab for the people that Pierce works for. Costume designer Daniel Orlandi does nice work with the clothes from the military uniforms that Pierce and his team wears to the more casual look that Logan, Laura, and Xavier wears.

Special effects makeup artist Ozzy Alvarez does fantastic work with the look of Caliban as an albino whose weakness is sunlight as well as some of the gore in the characters that encounter Logan and Laura. Visual effects supervisors Richard Betts, Chas Jarrett, Doug Spilatro, and Chris Spry do incredible work with the visual effects in the way some of the action is presented as well as some set-dressing in some of the locations and the powers of some of the younger mutants plus a weapon created by the company Pierce works for. Sound designer Hamilton Sterling, along with sound editor Donald Sylvester, does superb work with the sound in creating sound effects for some of the weapons as well as the way some of the locations sound and the moments whenever Xavier is having a seizure. The film’s music by Marco Beltrami is wonderful for its orchestral score that play into the drama and action while music supervisor Ted Caplan provides a soundtrack that features elements of hip-hop, country, and blues with contributions from Jim Croce and Johnny Cash.

The casting by Lisa Beach, Sarah Katzman, and Priscilla Yeo is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Elizabeth Rodriguez as a nurse named Gabriella who had been taking care of Laura, Eriq La Salle and Elise Neal as a farming couple who take in Logan, Laura, and Xavier, Quincy Fouse as the farming couple’s son, Dave Davis as a convenience store clerk, and in roles of young mutants that are Laura’s friends that include Doris Morgado, David Kallaway, Han Soto, Jayson Genao, Krzysztof Soszynski, and Alison Fernandez as kids who are seeking shelter and not be used as weapons. Richard E. Grant is superb as Zander Rice as a scientist who is the film’s main antagonist as a man that is hell-bent on creating something that would give mutants a chance to be used as weapons and soldiers that can do anything under anyone’s command. Boyd Holbrook is fantastic as Donald Pierce as a militant working for Rice who is eager to capture Laura where he sports an artificial arm and is ruthless in his pursuit to capture Laura. Stephen Merchant is excellent as the albino mutant tracker Caliban as someone who helps take care of Xavier for Logan while being someone who knows that Logan is ill as he doesn’t take shit from him.

Dafne Keen is phenomenal as Laura as a young girl who sports powers similar to Logan as she spends much of the film being silent and observant until she is threatened as she is a fierce killer that hasn’t experienced a lot of tender moments as there is this nice balance of innocence and rage in Keen who is just a joy to watch. Patrick Stewart is incredible as Charles Xavier/Professor X as a powerful telepath who is dealing with a growing illness as he’s unable to control his powers as he is filled with remorse and frustration where Stewart provides some funny moments in his banter with Logan as well as display a sense of grace over his regrets and need for peace. Finally, there’s Hugh Jackman in a tremendous performance as the titular character as a mutant who has little purpose in his life as he is a man filled with anguish and loss where he is eager to just end it all in the hope he can never see anyone killed because of him as it’s Jackman delivering a performance that is really heartbreaking to watch but also filled with a sense of honor into the fact that only he can be the Wolverine.

Logan is an outstanding film from James Mangold that feature spectacular performances from Hugh Jackman, Dafne Keen, and Patrick Stewart. Along with its supporting cast, high-octane action, studies on humanity and mortality, and gorgeous visuals. It’s a film that definitely raises the bar of what a superhero-action film can be as well as provide something that is very emotional where it gives the Wolverine character a fitting send-off. In the end, Logan is a magnificent film from James Mangold.

Related: Shane - 3:10 to Yuma (2007 film)

X-Men Films: X-Men - X2: X-Men United - X-Men 3: The Last Stand - X-Men Origins: Wolverine - X-Men: First Class - The Wolverine - X-Men: Days of Future Past - Deadpool - X-Men: Apocalypse - Deadpool 2 – (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) - (New Mutants)

© thevoid99 2017

The Skeleton Twins

Directed by Craig Johnson and written by Johnson and Mark Heyman, The Skeleton Twins is the story of two estranged twin siblings who come together following their respective suicide attempts as they deal with the pain of their childhood as well as what went wrong in their life. The film showcases a world where two siblings are at the end of their ropes in their life as they seek to help each other. Starring Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Boyd Holbrook, Ty Burrell, and Joanna Gleason. The Skeleton Twins is a witty yet somber film from Craig Johnson.

The film explores the lives of two estranged twin siblings as they haven’t seen or spoken to each other in a decade where they come together following their respective suicide attempts. For Milo (Bill Hader) and Maggie (Kristen Wiig), their lives as adults haven’t gone well as they planned where Milo moves back to his small New York town following his suicide attempt to live with Maggie and her husband Lance (Luke Wilson). While Milo and Maggie both deal with the failures of their adult lives, they also wondered where did everything go wrong as they also cope with their father’s passing many years ago. It’s a film that doesn’t just explore the world of siblings but also in how they try to re-forge the bond of their already fragile relationship.

The film’s screenplay doesn’t just explore the lives of their two siblings but also what drove them to not contact each other for a decade as part of that reason is their New Age mother (Joanna Gleason) whom Maggie really dislikes. Especially as Maggie is becoming insecure about the prospect of being a parent as she and Lance are trying to have kids while Maggie embarks into an affair with her scuba diving instructor Billy (Boyd Holbrook). Milo meanwhile, wants to rekindle a relationship with his old high school English teacher Rich (Ty Burrell) whom they had an affair when Milo was 15. The siblings deal with their own issues as they also deal with their own relationship where Milo would befriend Lance whom he realizes that he’s just a good guy as it plays into the question of what Maggie is going through.

Craig Johnson’s direction is quite simple where most of it is shot around parts of Brooklyn in New York City where it has a sense of intimacy that occurs where there’s very little wide shots. Johnson instead uses some medium shots and close-ups to tell the story as it plays into this relationship between estranged twin siblings. Johnson’s compositions in the way he captures conversations as well as some of the film’s humor plays into this relationship where Milo is often very outgoing while Maggie is a bit more introverted and mature. Even in a sequence where Milo tries to cheer Maggie up by lip-syncing to Starship’s Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now as it becomes of the film’s highlights. Still, Johnson knows that there has to be some dramatic outcome though the result does make the film a bit uneven. However, it does manage to have a payoff where it plays to the bond between the two no matter how troubled their lives are. Overall, Johnson creates a very engaging and enjoyable film about the troubled lives of twin siblings.

Cinematographer Reed Morano does excellent work with the cinematography from the look of the locations of the small New York town in the daytime during the fall season to some unique lighting schemes at night as well as some scenes in the pool. Editor Jennifer Lee does nice work with the editing as it‘s pretty straightforward for the most part as it does include a few montages of Milo and Maggie as children. Production designer Ola Maslik and set decorator Lauren DeTitta do wonderful work with the set pieces from the home that Maggie and Lance live in to the book store where Rich works at.

Costume designer Mikaela Wohl does fantastic work with the costumes from the casual clothes many of the characters wear to the Halloween costumes Milo and Maggie wear on that day. Sound designers Matt A. Schoenfeld and Ian Stynes do terrific work with the sound from the sparse sounds in the scenes in the pool to the raucous atmosphere in the bar scenes. The film’s music by Nathan Larson is amazing as it is a mix of electronic and indie that plays into the melancholia and humor of the film while music supervisor Meghan Currier creates a fun soundtrack that features a lot of new wave and 80s music from acts like Blondie, OMD, and Starship.

The casting by Avy Kaufman is great as it features some notable small roles from Truck Hudson as a security guard that arrests Milo, Kathleen Rose Perkins as an old schoolmate of Maggie that runs into Maggie at an ice cream shop, Eddie Schweighardt and Sydney Lucas in their respective roles as the young Milo and Maggie, and Joanna Gleason in a wonderful performance as Milo and Maggie’s estranged New Age mother Judy whose attempt to reconnect with her children ends up being a disaster. Boyd Holbrook is superb as the Australian scuba diving instructor Billy whom Maggie would sleep with while Ty Burrell is excellent as Milo’s former English teacher Rich who is reluctant to have an affair with Milo as he has a new life of his own.

Luke Wilson is brilliant as Lance as an all-around nice guy who tries to cheer up Milo by having him work with him while revealing that he just wants what everybody wants which is to be happy. Finally, there’s the duo of Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig in amazing performances in their respective roles as Milo and Maggie. Hader brings this unique mix of comedy and drama as a failed actor who tries to kill himself as he returns home to figure out what to do while also understanding that his own sister is just as fucked up as he is. Wiig brings a more restrained approach to her character as someone who is unhappy in her life as she tries to be the mature one while not knowing how to deal with the idea of being a mother as she becomes more insecure. Hader and Wiig have this natural chemistry in the way they act with one another as well as bringing in a lot of laughs.

The Skeleton Twins is a remarkable from Craig Johnson that features incredible performances from Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. The film isn’t just a story that is sweet but also very melancholic in the way it explore twin sibling relationships but also in the idea of loss and uncertainty as these two people try to cope with it. In the end, The Skeleton Twins is sensational film from Craig Johnson.

© thevoid99 2014

Behind the Candelabra

Based on the book Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace by Scott Thorson and Alex Thorleifson, Behind the Candelabra is the story about Thorson’s affair with the famed pianist Liberace during the late 1970s where they endured all sorts of trials and tribulations to keep the affair a secret from the public. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and screenplay by Richard LaGravenese, the film is a look into the life of one of the great entertainers of the 20th Century and the secret life he had with a young man as Liberace is played by Michael Douglas and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson. Also starring Dan Aykroyd, Scott Bakula, Cheyenne Jackson, Rob Lowe, Tom Papa, Paul Reiser, and Debbie Reynolds as Frances Liberace. Behind the Candelabra is a majestic yet sensational film from Steven Soderbergh.

Liberace was known as a man of flamboyance and showmanship who loved to dress in lavish designer suits that is often very excessive while his piano designs play up to his personality. Yet, the man was an entertainer who believed that too much of a good thing is wonderful. Still, there is the private side of Liberace that the public didn’t really know about until after his death in February of 1987 where it was revealed that he was gay. What this film is about is Liberace’s love affair with a young man named Scott Thorson who wouldn’t just be Liberace’s assistant and chauffer in his shows but the relationship they had was loving but also tumultuous. Largely as Liberace would start to stray from the relationship making Thorson more insecure as he becomes addicted to drugs. It’s a story that is told in the span of a decade where the relationship would have its ups and downs though there was a real love between these two men.

Richard LaGravenese’ screenplay takes it time to explore how this relationship was formed with Thorson attended a show with another gay man in Bob Black (Scott Bakula) who knew Liberace as he would introduce Thorson to the man. Since Thorson was a young animal trainer who aspired to be a veterinarian, Liberace invited to his home to help tend one of his sick dogs as a love affair ensued though Thorson isn’t aware that he’s becoming one of many lovers Liberace has had previously that had come and gone including his protégée Billy Leatherwood (Cheyenne Jackson) and a butler named Carlucci (Bruce Ramsay). What wasn’t expected is that the affair would become much deeper to the point that Liberace would hire a drug-addicted plastic surgeon in Dr. Jack Startz (Rob Lowe) to make Scott look a bit like Liberace himself.

That would eventually play to some of the troubles of the relationship as Thorson begins to feel insecure as he is addicted to drugs while he isn’t taken seriously by some of Liberace’s personnel including manager Seymour Heller (Dan Aykroyd). Adding to the insecurities is the fact that Liberace likes to sleep with other men including a young dancer named Cary (Boyd Holbrook) which would eventually play to their split where Thorson would try to expose Liberace in the early 80s only to fail. While there are some dramatic liberties that LaGravenese does with his screenplay in order to dramatize the story, he does make sure that it is still a love story that has an element of camp but also drama. The dialogue is also quite stylish as it plays up to some of Liberace’s own campy personality on and off the stage as well as maintaining some realism over the intensity of the relationship between the two men.

The direction of Steven Soderbergh definitely plays up to that sense of excess that Liberace is known for where he utilizes a lot of stylish compositions but also keep things at a minimum to explore the complexity of this relationship between Liberace and Thorson. With the use of tracking shots, wide shots, and other camera angles, he creates a film that is about the secret life of a man seen from the perspective of a younger man. There are also shots that would mirror similar situations where Thorson is watching Liberace talking to younger men that also echoed a similar scene where Billy Leatherwood is shot in a close-up while Thorson and Liberace are blurred in the background though their dialogue can be heard quite clearly.

There are also moments in the direction where Soderbergh creates an element of camp that includes a very funny scene of Liberace and Thorson watching Johnny Carson where Liberace is aghast over how old he looks. Even the scenes of Liberace playing the piano in his stage performances maintain that sense of decadence where Soderbergh knows that excess is best. Through his very colorful yet lavish cinematography, under his Peter Andrews alias, where he uses lights to create a sense of atmosphere in the film’s humor and drama. Soderbergh also creates an element of drama in its third act where not only does Thorson deal with loss in a big way but also betrayal. Through his editing, under the Mary Ann Bernard alias, where Soderbergh creates some fantastic montages and rhythmic cuts to play up the drama that comes in that third act.

Even in some of the attention to detail where it reveals a moment in time when all of that excess would finally come to haunt Liberace in the end. It’s in these moments where Soderbergh does restrain things to create a sense of calm and normalcy where it definitely has a melancholia in the imagery that he’s conveying. Since the film is about Liberace, Soderbergh knows that he can’t end the film on a down note. It has to end in style and the way he chooses to end the film isn’t just about Liberace but also the love he had with Scott Thorson. Overall, Soderbergh creates a very heartfelt and engaging film about Liberace and his secret relationship with Scott Thorson.

Production designer Howard Cummings, along with set decorator Barbara Munch and art director Patrick M. Sullivan Jr., does brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of Liberace‘s home to his stage shows where everything is excessive and lavish that includes two of everything and little model pianos to play up Liberace‘s sense of generosity to those he love. Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick does amazing work with the costumes as they‘re always filled with style from the fur coats, the suits, capes, and everything else that is all a part of Liberace‘s world of decadence. The makeup and hair design work is also worth noting for the hair styles that play up the world of the late 70s and early 80s as well as Liberace’s own hair and how his face evolved through his plastic surgeries including Thorson who also looked a younger version of Liberace after his surgery.

Visual effects supervisor Thomas J. Smith does superb work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects such as the TV stuff that Liberace watches that he‘s in along with some backdrop dressing for some scenes in Las Vegas and Palm Springs. Sound editor Larry Blake does excellent work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the performance as well as some of the intimate moments between Liberace and Thorson as it would also play into their dissolution. The music adaptation by the late Marvin Hamlisch is fantastic for the piano pieces Hamlisch selects as well as some playful score music from the composer as he makes the music a major highlight that isn’t just about Liberace but also a great tribute to Hamlisch himself whom the film is dedicated to.

The casting by Carmen Cuba is marvelous for the actors that is assembled for this film as it features appearances from David Koechner as an adoption attorney, Josh Meyers as Liberace’s attorney in Thorson’s palimony suit, Jane Morris as Scott’s adopted mother Rose, Nicky Katt as the drug dealer Mr. Y, Cheyenne Jackson as Liberace’s protégée Billy Leatherwood, Bruce Ramsay as Liberace’s gay butler Carlucci, and Boyd Holbrook as a Young Americans dancer named Cary whom Liberace gets interested in as he would usurp Scott. Other notable small performances include Paul Reiser as Thorson’s attorney in the palimony suit, Tom Papa as Liberace’s head assistant Ray Arnett, and Scott Bakula as Bob Black who would introduce Scott to Liberace.

Debbie Reynolds is amazing as Liberace’s mother Frances where Reynolds looks unrecognizable as an old European woman who adores her son while is one of the few people who is very kind to Thorson as Reynolds steals every scene she’s in. Rob Lowe is hilarious as the freaky-looking plastic surgeon Dr. Jack Startz as a man who looks like he’s had too many facelifts while doesn’t really know what he’s talking about as he claims to know so much. Dan Aykroyd is superb as Liberace’s manager Seymour Heller who doesn’t have much of an opinion towards Scott as he’s very straightforward while being Liberace’s great protector from all sorts of things as he is also the guy who takes care of things.

The film’s best performances definitely go to the duo of Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in their respective roles as Liberace and Scott Thorson. Damon exudes all of the naiveté and frustrations of a young man who is caught up in Liberace’s world as he seeks to find himself while dealing with Liberace’s affairs with other men. Douglas is a real surprise as he plays up all of the charm that is Liberace while not being afraid to go camp as he can be funny but also quite dramatic. The two together make a fantastic duo in the way they play off each other in all of its moments whether it’s funny, romantic, or dramatic as they are key reasons for the film’s success.

Behind the Candelabra is a tremendous film from Steven Soderbergh that features outstanding performances from Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. The film isn’t just a very genuine and compelling love story but also a look into the life of one of the great entertainers of the 20th Century and the secret life that he had. If this film is Steven Soderbergh’s final contribution to cinema, at least he goes out with a winner and in grand style. In the end, Behind the Candelabra is a fabulous and sensational film from Steven Soderbergh.

Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray’s Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean's Eleven - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-Equilibrium - Ocean’s Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean’s Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)

The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2013

Higher Ground

Based on Carolyn Briggs’ memoir This Dark World: A Story of Faith Found and Lost, Higher Ground is the story of a woman whose life goes through various changes when she becomes religious at 18 only to question her beliefs as a married adult. Directed and starring Vera Farmiga with a screenplay by Carolyn Briggs and Tim Metcalfe, the film explores the world of faith and doubt in the eyes of a woman in the course of her life. Also starring John Hawkes, Taissa Farmiga, Donna Murphy, Dagmara Dominczyk, Joshua Leonard, and Bill Irwin. Higher Ground is a compelling drama from Vera Farmiga.

Following a period where her mother Kathleen (Donna Murphy) had a miscarriage that would ruin the marriage between her mother and father CW (John Hawkes), a young girl named Corinne (McKenzie Turner) is dealing with a troubled aftermath as she attends church with her young sister Wendy (Taylor Schwenke). At the church, Pastor Bud (Bill Irwin) has a sermon where Corinne accepts Jesus into her heart where she watches her parents’ marriage disintegrate. Years later as an 18-year old (Taissa Farmiga), Corinne meets a young rock singer named Ethan (Boyd Holbrook) where they have a relationship that would lead to Corinne getting married and having a baby. The marriage nearly crumbles following an accident when Ethan’s band goes on the road where he and Corinne decide to give their life towards God.

Time has passed as Corinne (Vera Farmiga) is now an adult with two kids another on the way while she and Ethan (Joshua Leonard) are part of a community of followers that includes Corinne’s friend Annika (Dagmara Dominczyk). A visit from Wendy (Nina Arianda) starts off well until Wendy’s lifestyle starts to get to Ethan while Corinne becomes fascinated by Wendy’s views on God and faith. Though Corinne loves the community, she starts to feel slighted by its restrictions over what to wear and such where it starts to overwhelm her after getting her third child. When Annika starts to feel ill leaving Corinne worried, the result would have an impact on Corinne’s views as it would lead to her marriage to finally unravel. Notably as she starts to have doubts about the way God works leading to Corinne to wonder if she had taken the right path to righteousness.

The film is about a life of a woman spanning through four different decades of her life where she encounters the world of Jesus Christ and faith only to find herself questioning about God’s will. It’s a compelling story that is about faith and doubt in the eyes of a woman who starts off going through tragedy only to find solace in God but later becomes doubtful following the restrictions of her community and various incidents that would impact her doubts. Carolyn Briggs and Tim Metcalfe’s screenplay does an excellent job in exploring Corinne’s life in the world of God and such. When it comes to the film’s third act, it gets a bit drawn out because the story starts to drag a bit as Corinne starts to break away from her old life to try and find something new. There’s nothing bad about it but it just takes a lot of out of what the first 2 acts had done in terms of dramatic execution.

Vera Farmiga’s direction is quite engaging and stylish for the way she opened the film with a baptism and then cuts to the narrative to follow this woman’s life. Shot on location in upstate New York, the film has gorgeous images of the fields and cliffs to play out the world that Corrine and her community live in. Farmiga also knows how to set up dramatic moments with her framing and having the actors be placed to create dramatic tension. A lot of it is very interesting despite the flaws in the third act where it loses a bit of steam. While the film is a dramatic take on a woman’s life, Farmiga isn’t afraid to put in some humor including a strange fantasy scene to play out what Corinne might be feeling. Overall, Farmiga does a solid job in creating an insightful film about a woman’s exploration towards faith.

Cinematographer Michael McDonough does excellent work with the film‘s photography from the lush look of the interiors for the scenes in the 60s and 70s to a more naturalistic look for the scenes in the 80s and 90s with some gorgeous exterior shots of the locations. Editor Colleen Sharp does nice work with the editing to create something that is straightforward without a lot of style while maintaining a leisured pace for the film. Production designer Sharon Lomofsky, with art directors Shawn Carroll and Lisa Meyers and set decorator Diana Bregman, does fantastic work with the set pieces such as the homes that Corinne lives in to the churches that she attends.

Costume designer Amela Baksic does wonderful work with the clothes that Corrine wears to explore her evolution and personality through the dresses she wears in the 70s and 80s to a more casual look in the 90s. Sound editor Robert Hein does terrific work with the sound from the intimacy of the churches to the way music is performed in a lot of those scenes. The film’s score by Alec Puro is superb for its folk-driven sound while its soundtrack that is assembled by music supervisor Levon Broussalian features a lot of folk-based religious music.

The casting by Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it includes some notable small roles from Ebon-Moss Bachrach as community member Luke, Norbert Leo Butz as community leader Pastor Bill, Barbara Tuttle as Bill’s wife, Sean Mahon as the Irish mail carrier that Corinne befriends late in the film, Jack Gilpin as a therapist Corinne meets, Michael Chernus as Annika’s husband Ned, and Bill Irwin as the inspiring Pastor Bud. In the roles of Corrine and Ethan’s children, there’s Flynn Hawkey, Luella Roche, and Sarah Little as the eldest daughter Abigail, Sarah Banks and Zoe Allegra as Lily, and Matthew Biltonen as the young child Gabe.

Boyd Holbrook is excellent as the young Ethan with his energetic performance while Kaitlyn Rae King is very good as the teenage Wendy with Taylor Schwenke who is also good as the younger Wendy. McKenzie Turner is wonderful as the young Corinne while Taissa Farmiga is amazing as the teenage Corinne who feels lost in her world as she falls for the young Ethan. Donna Murphy is brilliant as Corinne’s outgoing mother Kathleen while John Hawkes is terrific as Corinne’s troubled yet laconic father CW as the two have a great moment in a scene in the third act. Nina Arianda is superb as Corinne’s troubled sister Wendy who tries to figure out her sister’s world while admitting she is troubled. Dagmara Dominczyk is great as Corinne’s best friend Annika whose view on faith would shape Corinne’s view later on.

Joshua Leonard is fantastic as Corinne’s husband Ethan who tries to maintain his musical side while becoming confused by his wife’s behavior as he tries to hold on to his faith. Finally, there’s Vera Farmiga as Corinne where Farmiga’s performance is entrancing in the way she tries to deal with God and religion only to become confused by her world and its restrictions as it’s one of Farmiga’s essential performances.

Higher Ground is a stellar and fascinating film from Vera Farmiga as it features a terrific ensemble cast that includes Joshua Leonard, Dagmara Dominiczyk, Taissa Farmiga, Donna Murphy, and John Hawkes. For audiences that is interested in the world of religious communities and faith will definitely find the film intriguing despite the flaws it carries in its third act. In the end, Higher Ground is a film worth seeing from its star and director Vera Farmiga.

© thevoid99 2012