Higher Ground

2011 Drama

Actress Vera Farmiga makes her feature directorial debut with this adaptation of Carolyn S. Briggs' autobiography, This Dark World: A Memoir of Salvation Found and Lost. Haunted by a low sense of self-worth ever since her childhood in the 1960s, Corrine finds her happy family falling apart by the time she reaches high school, and seeks comfort in the arms of talented young guitarist Ethan. Later compelled to join a tight-knit fundamentalist community that offers both security and spiritual nourishment, Corrine and Ethan discover a sense of peace that ultimately proves short-lived once the more conservative tenets of the congregation start to take priority. Her illusions of the ideal faith-based community shattered, Corrine begins to question her entire belief system as her life starts to unravel once again. Joshua Leonard and John Hawkes co-star. more..

Director: Vera Farmiga

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Bill Irwin, Dagmara Dominczyk, Donna Murphy, John Hawkes

Reviews

  • What follows is something rarely seen in American movies: a sincerely humane examination of what it means to experience a crisis of faith. Tender, bittersweet and often gently comedic, Corinne's 20-year journey toward (and around, and away from) her God has a loose, searching rhythm that's engrossingly unpredictable.

    Jeannette Catsoulis - NPR

    26 April 2013

  • Farmiga expertly guides a large and gifted ensemble cast and proves as fearless a director as she is an actress. She lights up Higher Ground and makes it funny, touching and vital.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    26 April 2013

  • Higher Ground breaks crucial, sacred ground in American moviemaking.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    26 April 2013

  • 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.

    Kirk Honeycutt - The Hollywood Reporter

    26 April 2013

  • Farmiga closes in on moments that express mood and character so lightly and perceptively that you don't notice them gently - sometimes too gently - moving the story forward.

    Michelle Orange - Movieline

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Low Budget Feature - Drama/Comedy

    Casting Society of America (2012)

     
  • Best Overlooked Film

    Central Ohio Film Critics Association (2012)

     
  • Best Adapted Screenplay

    Chlotrudis Awards (2012)

     
  • Vera Farmiga

    Gotham Awards (2011)

     
  • Best Actress in a Motion Picture

    Satellite Awards (2011)