rzajac A lot of folks are posting to point out that HG is just plain boring. I say it's not.What it is, is mundane. Farmiga set herself a difficult hurdle. She decided that she wanted to set this odyssey in the context of the life of, really, an ordinary woman. And so there's a notable wash of the quotidian over the whole movie; lots of pastels and a paucity of striking drama and color. Who buys a ticket to eat oatmeal? Well, there are a couple of redemptive factors, esthetically speaking.One thing she does is place flashpoint moments of pretty intense drama, such as when the personality conflict with her husband culminates in violence; a real white-knuckler! And, that being merely a notable punctuation point in the action, a careful tracking shows the flick to be a kind of moderated exposition, ranging from the truly mundane to some pretty challenging stuff; and everything in between and every which way.HG is an invitation to lovingly and thoughtfully consider those of our brethren who have addressed their existential crises by buying into this particular "out"; socializing themselves into fundamentalism.Interestingly, the eye of the camera viewing this epic could be the fairly dispassionate eye of a deistic god: For example, I found the scene where our heroine meets with a "prophetic" councilor particularly challenging. It requires that we get off our duffs, roll up our sleeves, and personally address the issue: From whence do persons who promote themselves as social arbiters derive their credentials? Does his firm, unblinking claim to divine calling overrule the intuitions of women who simply feel unfulfilled? HG is, I think, carefully directed to leave you to answer this, and other questions, in the tabernacle of your own heart. This will naturally put off some moviegoers who never really felt that this was the purpose of film.I'm not kidding: I'm fully aware that this style of filmmaking puts off plenty of people. Farmiga didn't make this film to be popular: She made it to be honest with herself.And perhaps that's the foundation point of the best recommendation for this flick: How often do you get to see films like that?

sddavis63 I would have to say that the basic problem with this movie is that it's jot especially interesting - at least, it wasn't to me. Basically, we follow the spiritual journey of Corinne (Vera Farmiga, who also directed this) from childhood through a fundamentalist upbringing and involvement in a fundamentalist Christian sect until the point at which (literally) she walks out of the door and into a new life. To be honest, I felt little connection with Corinne. I didn't find the character well developed. We saw her at various points in her life, but the connections between those various points weren't explored. Corinne seems to struggle with her faith from the moment that she gets "saved," never really comfortable with it, but not really comfortable breaking away from it either. Her struggles with her faith is portrayed in a number of scenes where she clearly thinks thoughts that are unacceptable to the sect to which she belongs (there's a hint of lesbianism scattered in this movie, especially in the relationship between Corinne and Annika (Dagmara Dominczyk.) Corrine has fantasies about Annika - portrayed fairly innocently on screen - but they surely represent her inner struggle with the idea that there has to be more to life than she's seeing as a part of this rather controlling sect, where she's being constantly told how to dress and where it's clear that women are second class members.)The movie wasn't overtly negative of this type of Christianity. It's clear that some members of the sect are quite content with this life. It's just that Corinne wasn't. I would have liked to have seen more about Corrine's spiritual search. The only form of Christianity she was exposed to outside of the sect she belonged to was charismatic Christianity (Annika spoke in tongues.) But even though Christianity is far more diverse than that, the movie's end seemed to point to a sense that Corinne either had to stay with the sect or leave the faith altogether. There was no reference at all to more mainline versions of Christianity, although that may in itself make a point. As a mainline pastor, my general observation has been that people raised in fundamentalist backgrounds tend to give up on the church altogether if they rebel, rather than seeking out a more moderate take on Christianity; almost as if they think, even though they've rejected the teaching, that fundamentalism is still the only valid expression of Christianity that there is. I refer to the group as a "sect" because I didn't have a sense that they belonged to any particular denomination. They seemed to be a very independent group (which, to me, raises all sorts of problems in terms of accountability.) Some of the sect members seemed to be a bit of a caricature of such people. There was a very "hippy-ish" quality to some of them.Watching Corinne's spiritual evolution was somewhat interesting, and the ending of the movie, as she walked out the door of the sect's service, did make me feel some sympathy for her. It was as if she was on her own, with no help, no one to turn to after all these years when she was told so much about how to live. Overall, though, the movie didn't really strike much of a chord with me. (4/10)

Lary9 Higher Ground is a story about an honest search for faith in a fearful, posturing world. It is an unpretentious film. It is also Vera Farmiga's directorial debut and it showcases her signature style. She displays astonishing depths, carrying roles with integrity and intelligence. I've always noted that she has an atypical screen glamor that grows in its unfurling. In fact, it's a special beauty but it fits a needed niche. If you have ever walked the path of faith, honestly questing, be prepared for a cathartic, ambiguous denouement that may take you to higher ground. I enthusiastically recommend this soft, sad but lovely journey by cinema.

Cinnyaste There is no bigger fan of Vera Farmiga's acting than this reviewer. Thus the disappointing "Higher Ground" went down like a horse pill.Total Disclosure: only the first 41 and last 10 minutes were endured in real time. The remaining hour in Fast Forward. The story's extreme repetitiveness and lack of dramatic arc was nonetheless painfully evident. Not that there wasn't a clue this film was a disaster. During an NPR interview, Ms. F. had little meaningful to say about it.In "Grand Canyon" Attorney Kevin Kline asks friend, Producer and show off Steve Martin (paraphrasing), "Why is it when someone is successful in one area they think they know about everything else?" Bingo!As her first (and hopefully last) directorial effort, Ms. Farmiga's ego trip is a crashing bore not fit for human consumption. It's the cinematic equivalent of Christ's scourging. It's self important pretentious eyewash. One Hundred Eleven Minutes! This rudderless tale would overstay its welcome at seventy-five. Maybe if it were a thirty minute short. . .Search for faith or critique of fundamentalism my ass. This is essentially the same scene played over and over again: Vera looking quizzically at someone else spouting off about Jesus. Lots and lots of vacant stares. And playing guitar while singing Jesus' praise. Even Jesus Freaks' eyes will become heavy watching "Higher Ground."Major Film Festivals, have some balls and Stop, Stop, Stop awarding these empty films. Investors, Stop, Stop, Stop investing in excrement wrapped in shiny paper with a tag reading 'Important Art'.While you're at it Independent film, hire someone besides John Hawkes. Five films in 2011? Including two Indies? Overexposure personified.It's truly amazing how many far superior films to "Higher Ground" are made yearly. Films with minuscule budgets, lots of heart and engaging stories made by passionate, intelligent storytellers. Films without a rising 'C' lister. Films no one sees. Films no one distributes. Because they've been elbowed out by "Higher Ground."Jennifer Jason Leigh's equally awful ego stroke, "The Anniversary Party," has exactly the same discordant vibe as "Higher Ground."Do yourself a favor and give this film a big, wide pass. Ptoooey!