Reviews, Interviews , News, Commentaries, My Top 5 Movies, Best-Of Lists, Filmmakers of Faith, Film ForumHigher Ground
When evangelicals hear that there's a new movie about their brand of Christianity, they get nervous. All too often they are presented as idiots or villains. Stereotypes about narrow-mindedness, intolerance, cultish mind-control, and harsh subjugation of women abound.
Carolyn Briggs' 2002 memoir, This Dark World: A Memoir of Salvation Found and Lost, hit a number of those notes. When their church leaders counsel her not to get a college degree; when they counsel her husband to forgo a plum job opportunity because they instead need the headship of the church leaders; when she refused medication during a complicated pregnancy and scoffed at taking shelter during a tornado—well, it sounds to many evangelicals like a pretty kooky church, if not a cult. But don't expect the general public to make that distinction. CT's review of the book said it was "likely to win plaudits for its savaging of evangelical Christianity as the source of one woman's oppression, and her abandonment of that faith as a fount of liberation."
Vera Farmiga as Corinne
News that This Dark World, retitled Higher Ground, was coming to movie screens did not cause Christians to throw out the red carpet. And yet—what a surprise. This movie presents a church that is really endearing. It's a small community, and we meet them first in the 1970s as a gang of Jesus Freak hippies, gathered for a joyous, noisy river baptism. The guys are long-haired and bearded and have amiable, sweet expressions. The women wear prairie dresses and have personalities.
Corinne—the lead character played by Vera Farmiga, who also directed the film—is extra-bright but subdued, an observer. When, in an early scene, her boyfriend makes love to her in a meadow, he has an ecstatic experience while she waits it out, occasionally furrowing her brow.
The character in the film who lights up the sky is Annika. She is funny, creative, shapely, sensuous, and mischievous. Her husband describes her as loving "drama, art, and nature." She counsels Corinne not to let the sexual fires in marriage die, and imparts that she likes to draw pictures of her husband's penis. (We see Annika's bedroom later on and yes, she certainly does.) When a cop pulls the two over and tells Corinne she was exceeding the speed limit, Annika puts on a foreign accent and explains to the cop that she was having an underwear emergency and that Corinne was trying to help her.
Annika (Dagmara Dominczyk) brings much joy to Corinne's life
When the two are relaxing in a boat on a river, Annika begins to pray aloud in tongues. Whatever your opinion of that gift may be, it certainly sounds beautiful here. This is a Hollywood movie, and a woman is praying in tongues, and it is beautiful, and she is beautiful. Wonders never cease.
In fact, prayer and worship are consistently shown as inviting, peaceful, and joyous. A small group sits in a living room singing "The Sweetest Name I Know," and they're practically floating away. Any viewer would get the impression that those who don't love Jesus and pray with others are missing one of life's great joys.
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henriette hofsink
I wanted to say as well that Christs asks for growth from us. He does not ask for perfection but growth. I we say that Christ asks for perfection then we are arrogant and prideful and don't understand the gospel. If we say Christ does not ask for perfection without growth what is the point of our existance? Christ died for us so we can draw closer to him by asking questions and through that we grow!!!
henriette hofsink
Great comments here. I think the lesson to be learned is as a church we need be open minded to people who struggle with their faith. I sympathize with Jaz789 as you have good questions. I agree with Kate tht we need to continue to ask questions. I pray it strengthens faith though and not leaving the faith. We need to be gentle. This counselor was NOT gentle. Jaz789 I would love to chat with you as you have great questions to be answered and I pray you will find answers. The second thing is we as christians are very simplistic in our answers "trust God" "let go and let God" How do we get there? Yet the secular ways are simplistic to saying fate verses destiny and we need to let fate take over. How again do we do that? Yet the intellectual ways are great -I love learning -yet is not the answer since it is a heart issue -christianity- not a intellectual issue. The third thing is Carl is right saying evangelicals approach produces doubt and reverts back to law. Faith comes from hearing!
Eden stokka
I go to this church. My parents went there when this book was written. I can honestly say that the book exaggerates most of the aspects of the church, and the movie makes it completely unrecognizable. I love our fellowship and the way we look out for one another without ever trying to control one another. I would love for anyone buying into this to come to our church and see how it really is. This woman was a little bit self-obsessed, as demonstrated by the fact that she abandoned her entire family to "find herself". Go ahead and watch the movie but know that it's ENTIRELY fictional.
hippie church drop out gone organic
I thought it was well done. This woman was not the only person to go through struggles like this. The typical north american hippie church screams this junk behind the scenes in the small groups there seems to be those who think there called to manipulate people....we're called to point to JESUS of the N.T. and get out of the way and let HIS Holy Spirit lead believers into truth....still detoxing from this crap.....the movie touch a deep cord.
Maureen Chuck
I just wanted to start by saying that I am an atheist but enjoy watching movies about faith because it intrigues me. I enjoyed your review very much because I had a similar take on the movie. I thought the movie (have not read the book) showed the character's disappointment in herself and the church to a lesser degree. Her disappointment in not being able to achieve the same level of faith of those around her. I was annoyed that they were sent to such a judgemental therapist for "counselling". I felt that if they had gone to a counsellor without his own agenda they may have been able to save their marriage. They clearly had a lot of love for one another.