Far from Heaven

In 1950s Connecticut, a housewife faces a marital crisis and mounting racial tensions in the outside world.

It’s a brilliant idea, filming a period piece in the actual style of the period. It adds another layer of complexity and depth to Haynes’ exploration of the tensions, bigotries and confining social expectations of the period. The film tears down the often rosy view of 1950’s America, while packaging its ideas in the grand, heavily romanticized emotions of the era’s melodramas.  

I’m so glad I watched several Douglas Sirk films before I caught this one, otherwise I’d never have understood or appreciated the very specific stylistic references to his work. 

The film satisfies on many levels. Its construct is intellectually stimulating, its emotional tug is genuine, and its visual and aural presentations are a genuine feast for the senses.