Monday, November 21, 2011

Movie Monday: Higher Ground

When I go to the movies, I almost always go looking for an action-adventure, science-fiction or fantasy movie. Maybe a chick-flick. Occasionally, I'll be drawn to something with a little mystery (and maybe some suspense). But a straight-up drama? Rarely my thing.

So when someone suggested we go see Higher Ground, I wasn't sure what to expect. Thanks to Google, I knew what it was about, and that it was getting good reviews. As IMDB describes, it is the story of a woman's life-long struggle with her faith. I'll admit - I was nervous I might not like it, and said a silent "thank you" that I wasn't paying. 

I won't give the story away, but the movie does open when a young Corinne is first introduced to religion. We see she is unsure, but eager to let God into her life. We see the event that seals her faith in prayer, and God, and changes the way she lives her life, and shapes her family. Later on, we see what triggers Corinne's crisis of faith, and the shift in her beliefs as her trust in God is challenged. 

It's honestly a great story. The movie is well-written, and the story definitely holds your interest. The actors pull it off well, especially Vera Farmiga, who also directed the film. (Side Note: You recognize her from Up in the Air, The Departed and Source Code. It drove me nuts the whole movie.)

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not overly religious. I do believe in God, I just don't belong to a church, or practice any one religion. But I don't think that's necessary to appreciate this movie. We all have faith in something - and for most of us, that faith is challenged at some point. It might be your faith in a friend, or your parents or a political ideology. Eventually something will make you question what you'd come to believe. 

That's the story that Higher Ground tells; how we establish faith, come to question it, and ultimately, how we resolve those doubts. The main message I got was that, if you don't really have faith in yourself, you can't really have faith in anyone or anything else, either. 

Which is a part of faith that we all need to learn.

**** - I'll watch it again when I can do so for free.

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