HIGHER GROUND
US, 2011, 109 minutes, Colour.
Vera Farmiga, Joshua Leonard, Norbert Leo Butz, Michael Chernus, McKenzie? Turner, Donna Murphy, John Hawkes, Bill Irwin, Taissa Farmiga, Dagmara Dominczyk.
Directed by Vera Farmiga.
Vera Farmiga, a versatile actress in quite diverse roles in films like The Departed, Breaking and Entering, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas or Up in the Air, has taken on demanding tasks for her first film as director by playing the lead as well. For those who ‘get’ the film (and there will be many who don’t because it deals with themes of religion and challenges to faith), she has done good work in both directing and acting.
The film is based on a memoir by Caroline S. Briggs, ‘The Darkest Hour’ and she has co-written the script with Timothy Metcalfe. Because it is a memoir rather than a biography, the film uses memoir structure: moments are glimpsed; motivations are implied sometimes rather than being spelt out; characters may also seem enigmatic or underdeveloped as the screenplay quickly moves from times and places in leaps rather than in ordered and explained progression.
That said, the film is fascinating for anyone who is concerned about religion, especially popular religion and what is often called ‘simple faith’. While devout simple faith can be a great solace and sustenance, we realise that for many it is not enough. Important questions about life and its meaning are ignored at one’s peril, an opting out that can lead to a blind and/or stubborn hanging on to the words of belief without reflection, or a shattering of the fragilities of faith leading to giving up on religious effort or despair.
Corinne, as a little girl, was stirred by an eager preacher and put her hand up to say that she had made a choice for Jesus. At home, things are not so easy: a drinking father, a carefree mother, the tragedy of a death at birth. As Corinne grows up (and Vera Farmiga takes on the role), she writes and thinks but becomes infatuated with a young band member, Ethan, who invites her to write a song with him. The older Ethan is played well by Joshua Leonard. Pregnancy and marriage follow in that order. When, some band members are fooling around in a bus and cause it to swerve into a river, Corinne’s and Ethan’s baby does not die as they had feared. From then on both become believers and members of a home church, led by an enthusiastic preacher (where men preach and women, dressed modestly, don’t).
Years go by until one of Corinne’s close friends, Annika (an engagingly exuberant performance by Dagmara Dominczyk) has a brain tumour and Corinne begins to give voice to her questions about suffering and God’s presence and absence. The help she gets is not sufficient to help her resolve her issues and her husband’s and children’s continuing devout lives. Some have complained that the film leaves the audience up in the air concerning Corinne’s decision, but there are several, non-verbal indications that tell their story satisfyingly.
The film presents evangelical Christians as they are, positive and negative and response will depend on presuppositions audiences bring to the film as to whether they approve/agree with these Christians, their faith, the Jesus-language, their charismatic approach to prayer and sharing, their moral codes (and patriarchal leadership). For mainstream church audiences, the film is a challenge to them as to how they believe, how they express that faith and speak of Jesus, how they respond to questions about God. It is a challenge to those in leadership and spiritual direction as to how they would listen to such a Christian, evaluate their prayer experiences and assist them in discerning God’s place in their lives.
Vera Farmiga made some observations on her approach to the film. She herself comes from an American Ukrainian Catholic background:
‘You've got fundamentalism, and you've got relativism. I wanted to push both ways and try to come at it from a middle ground.’
‘My dad is someone who feels the breath of God on his face. He's tapping into something that I have yet to tap into - and yearn to.’
‘Doubt is the middle position between knowledge and ignorance. It encompasses cynicism but also genuine questioning.’
(On any difficulties she encountered in casting 'Higher Ground'):] It should have been a lot harder. I'd say, 'It's about a woman enmeshed in this very particular spiritual community who's trying to conceptualize and define God for herself'. And you use the word 'God' and people quake with fear. That's when I started to realize what a touchy, bizarre, sensitive, combative subject matter it is.
1. The impact of the film for religious audiences, non-religious audiences, evangelicals, mainstream Christians? American audiences, non-Americans? The critique of religion? Of evangelical churches and communities? For or against?
2. The work of Vera Farmiga, as director, star? Her focus? Her religious journey, seeking for faith, presence of God? The audience and their sharing the journey, their judgment of her?
3. The work of Carolyn Briggs and her memoir? The title, This Dark World? The various chapters – and the captions, illustrating Corinne’s journey?
4. The locations in New York State, the evocation of the south, the Bible belt, evangelical communities? The locations, the town and homes, the church and schools, libraries etc? Sense of realism?
5. The musical score, the range of hymns throughout the whole film, the lyrics and their relationship to the plot, the familiar hymns, the way that they were inserted into the narrative? The cumulative effect of the hymns and the singing?
6. The opening, Ethan and his praising the Lord, the range of immersions, the sense of realism – and the comic touches?
7. The flashbacks to Corinne as a young girl, within her family, her relationship with Wendy, her mother and her style, wanting glamour, non-religious, the issue of the accordion and the salesman, and saying Corinne was not musical? Her father, his drinking, fighting with his wife? The development of the characters – especially for their later appearances in the film?
8. Corinne, the Sunday school, Pastor Bud and his spiel, tap tap on the microphone, tap tap on the heart, Jesus calling the children, urging them to put their hands up, their special day, Corinne putting her hand up, Wendy not putting hers up? The effect? Why? Corinne’s later reflections? Explanations to her mother?
9. The teenage Carolyn and Wendy, their sharing the room, Wendy and her worldly touches, Corinne and her diary? Study, reading, not being allowed to read Lord of the Flies – but later the librarian giving it to her? Going to church?
10. At school, the encounter with Ethan, talking, sharing, his music, the group? The title of The Renegades? Performances? Ethan wanting to write with Corinne, their composing the song? Ethan as a character, worldly, Corinne and her love for him, pregnancy, the wedding celebration?
11. The birth of their child, going travelling with the group, the permissive lifestyle, the crash, the bus in the river, saving the baby? Reliance on God?
12. The religious experience, motivations, Ethan and his singing, Corinne and her immersion, her leading songs outdoors?
13. Pastor Bud as a person, church leader, his knowledge of texts, his exhortatory style, urging people to share? Genial, the nature of his leadership?
14. The community, young, families, enclosed, the reliance on biblical texts, acknowledgment of God’s will, the dominance of men, hierarchical, the women correcting Corinne, her dress and her shoulders? Women’s roles, not preaching? At the meetings, the testimonies? The men and the reflections on sex, the sex tapes and their language?
15. Corinne and her friendship with Annika, Annika’s vivacity, yet devout? Her love for Ned? The humour of the penis drawing? Corinne and her sexual fantasies, lascivious, with Annika? The driving lessons, the policeman pulling them up, Annika’s voice pretence? Ordinary life, the years passing, food, visits, support? Annika and her praying in tongues? Corinne and her wanting to have the gift of tongues, asking for explanations, talking about the mystical experience, in the bathroom trying to induce tongues? Annika and the news of the tumour, Corinne going to the hospital, Ned and his care for Annika, going to the meetings, Annika and her restrictions and helplessness?
16. Corinne, her relationship with her children, the birth of the son, the difficulties? The years? With Ethan, the family? Her own father, his stopping drinking, change, becoming a genial presence?
17. Sharing with Ethan, Ethan and his strong religiosity, singing in the church, with the children? Corinne and her wanting to study? Changing, open to other experience, Ethan not changing?
18. Wendy coming to stay, her worldly background, yawning at church, the drugs and the children with the drugs, her leaving?
19. Corinne and religion, her past, continually wanting God, using the language of religion, the Scriptures, even tending towards preaching and being rebuked, grace before meals, her singing, yet her questions? Yearning for more?
20. The growing exasperation, confronting Ethan, leaving, the apartment and her mother helping her, the landlady’s talk about fanatical evangelicals? Going to the library, books, meeting the postman, the discussion about books, Yeats and his reading the poem, the postman with the children, possibilities for Corinne?
21. The sports event, the harsh words to Ethan, his bewilderment? Her anger and frustration?
22. Going to the therapist, his seeing himself as a prophet, the preaching kind of language, urging Corinne to stay with her husband? Not hearing her yearnings?
23. The birthday party, her son, her mother with her new husband, her father, the remembering of the past, love, the children, wanting the photo, the wedding photo and the cake – and Corinne unable to kiss Ethan?
24. Corinne going to the church, her speech to the congregation about herself, their not applauding, bewilderment? The hymn, the singing? Her kissing Ethan – and the exit from the church?
25. The issues of discernment, the inability of the evangelicals to go beyond God’s word, not listening to the human heart, the failure in spiritual direction? Corinne’s future – as religious, experiencing God’s presence, reconciling with Ethan or not? A familiar story for many people in the contemporary world?
