'Far From Heaven' close to perfection

I can only imagine the film pitch that director Todd Haynes must have given for his most recent film, "Far From Heaven." Coming from the man who gave us "Velvet Goldmine," Haynes may have said something to the effect that he had an idea to explore repressed desires in 1950s America in the style of that era's sweeping, over-the-top melodramas. Even for the most experimental of independent filmmakers, this could have been laughable. But Haynes has stopped laughter mid-giggle, and left audiences, gender aside, reaching for buttery napkins to dab the tears rolling down their cheeks. Haynes' "Far From Heaven" is a textbook Technicolor fantasia of film theory and a gorgeous homage to the films of Douglas Sirk, specifically, "All that Heaven Allows."\nSirk's films explored issues of an unspeakable nature for his time, but these issues were often only hinted at. His films were typically labeled as "weepies" and "women's films," and were not taken seriously until rediscovered by academia in the 1970s. \nIn contrast, Hayne's has created a film that delves into the relationships of unthinkable proportions for 1950s American suburbia, specifically homosexual and interracial relationships. The film drips with a stylistic beauty that seems both fresh and familiar. To say the colors of this film are rich, is to say Bill Gates has some pocket-change. Everything in this film, from the costumes to the score to the wind whipping the autumn leaves, has become a stylized and chosen part of the décor, whether exterior or interior.\nEqually impressive as the films theoretical and technical achievements is the acting from Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid. "Far From Heaven" has already received an accolade of awards, with Moore receiving the greater majority for her performance as a house-mom whose picture-perfect world is crumbling and all she can do is smile and reassure everyone that things are "just fine." Likewise, Dennis Quaid gives arguably the best performance of his career as a man who has it made in corporate suburbia, but is breaking up inside because of his homosexuality that he deems "despicable," but that he can't deny. "Far From Heaven" is a lot closer than its title suggests and is one of the most exciting and daring films this year.