Synopsis
Vera Farmiga's directorial debut, HIGHER GROUND, depicts the landscape of a tight-knit spiritual community thrown off-kilter when one of their own begins to question her faith. Inspired by screenwriter Carolyn S. Briggs' memoir This Dark World, the film tells the story of a thoughtful woman's struggles with belief, love, and trust - in human relationships as well as in God.
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Cast
- Vera FarmigaCorinne Walker
- Donna MurphyKathleen Walker
- Dagmara DomińczykAnnika
- John HawkesCW Walker
- Joshua LeonardEthan Miller
- Nina AriandaWendy Walker
- Taissa FarmigaTeenage Corinne Walker
- Taylor SchwenckeYoung Wendy Walker
- Boyd HolbrookTeenage Ethan Miller
- Norbert Leo ButzPastor Bill
Recommendations
- 100
Time Out
Funny and heartbreaking, this is a movie that would have made the '80s-era Jonathan Demme, attuned to American anxieties, blush with pride. - 83
Entertainment Weekly
Higher Ground breaks crucial, sacred ground in American moviemaking. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
The film is a deft, graceful and often poignant story of a woman's quest to find her own identity and a spiritual sanctuary that will give her life hope and meaning. - 80
Variety
A satirical yet sensitive portrait of life in an evangelical Christian community, Higher Ground marks a startlingly bold directing debut for actress Vera Farmiga. - 75
IndieWire
An earnest, sometimes bland and unsophisticated look at Corinne's undulating relationship to spirituality in general and Christian dogma in particular. But it's also a surprisingly well-made character study outside of its specific theme. - 70
The New Yorker
You could argue that the film is too wrenching a departure for an actress as earthy as Farmiga, but that, I suspect, is why she took the risk - daring herself, in the person of Corinne, to slip the surly bonds of beauty and desire. - 58
The A.V. Club
At times, Higher Ground feels like a lower-stakes "Welcome To The Dollhouse" for adults: It's a systematically built portrait of disappointment and despair, centering on a perpetual underdog looking for affection and surety in any possible form. But while Higher Ground is less painful than Dollhouse, it's also less passionate. - 50
Boxoffice Magazine
Higher Ground is a weird film with some very nice moments, but its odd and offbeat combination of comic touches, serious spiritual subject matter and occasional surrealist interludes never quiet gels.
