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Higher Ground

  • 20112011
  • RR
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
14,977
4,935
Vera Farmiga in Higher Ground (2011)
A small evangelical Christian community is thrown off balance when one of their own, Corrine (Vera Farmiga), begins to question her faith.
Play trailer2:03
1 Video
82 Photos
Drama
A chronicle of one woman's lifelong struggle with her faith.A chronicle of one woman's lifelong struggle with her faith.A chronicle of one woman's lifelong struggle with her faith.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
14,977
4,935
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Vera Farmiga
    • Writers
      • Carolyn S. Briggs(screenplay)
      • Tim Metcalfe(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Vera Farmiga
      • Joshua Leonard
      • Dagmara Dominczyk
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Vera Farmiga
    • Writers
      • Carolyn S. Briggs(screenplay)
      • Tim Metcalfe(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Vera Farmiga
      • Joshua Leonard
      • Dagmara Dominczyk
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 38User reviews
    • 67Critic reviews
    • 74Metascore
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 7 nominations

    Videos1

    Higher Ground
    Trailer 2:03
    Higher Ground

    Photos82

    John Hawkes and Boyd Holbrook in Higher Ground (2011)
    Dagmara Dominczyk and Vera Farmiga in Higher Ground (2011)
    Dagmara Dominczyk and Vera Farmiga in Higher Ground (2011)
    Vera Farmiga and Joshua Leonard in Higher Ground (2011)
    Vera Farmiga and Ebon Moss-Bachrach in Higher Ground (2011)
    Bill Irwin in Higher Ground (2011)
    Taissa Farmiga in Higher Ground (2011)
    Vera Farmiga and Sean Mahon in Higher Ground (2011)
    Vera Farmiga and Sean Mahon in Higher Ground (2011)
    Vera Farmiga and John Hawkes in Higher Ground (2011)
    Vera Farmiga and Joshua Leonard in Higher Ground (2011)
    Boyd Holbrook and Taissa Farmiga in Higher Ground (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Vera Farmiga
    Vera Farmiga
    • Corinne Walker
    Joshua Leonard
    Joshua Leonard
    • Ethan Miller
    Dagmara Dominczyk
    Dagmara Dominczyk
    • Annika
    Norbert Leo Butz
    Norbert Leo Butz
    • Pastor Bill
    Michael Chernus
    Michael Chernus
    • Ned
    McKenzie Turner
    • Young Corrine Walker
    Donna Murphy
    Donna Murphy
    • Kathleen Walker
    John Hawkes
    John Hawkes
    • CW Walker
    Matthew Dubas
    • Salesman
    Taylor Schwencke
    • Young Wendy Walker
    Jillian Lindig
    • Mrs. Tuttle
    Bill Irwin
    Bill Irwin
    • Pastor Bud
    Alden Rosakranse
    • Tim
    Taissa Farmiga
    Taissa Farmiga
    • Teenage Corinne Walker
    James Noon
    • Kirk
    Kaitlyn Rae King
    • Teenage Wendy Walker
    Boyd Holbrook
    Boyd Holbrook
    • Teenage Ethan Miller
    Brandon Boyer
    • Mike
    • Director
      • Vera Farmiga
    • Writers
      • Carolyn S. Briggs(screenplay) (memoir "This Dark World")
      • Tim Metcalfe(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Vera Farmiga directed this film while five months pregnant.
    • Goofs
      Vera Farmiga has blue eyes. Taissa Farmiga, the younger sister of Vera who plays the younger version of her in the movie, has brown eyes.
    • Connections
      Featured in Maltin on Movies: Haywire (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      Blessed Assurance
      Written by Fanny Crosby and Phoebe Knapp

      Arranged by Warren Haynes

      Performed by Warren Haynes, Amy Helm, Molly Hawkey and MacHan Taylor

    User reviews38

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    an opinion from a Christian viewer
    I am a Christian who have had some experience with the kind of community this movie portrays, and while watching this film, I think this is something for Christian community to watch and think about it. I don't think the film attack the faith or the religion, but it make us question whether all the singing, ceremony, bible reading, church activities,that we do everyday matter at all if there is no "Love and Honesty" in them. Doesn't the Lord tell us that nothing mater if it's not done with love? Doesn't the Bible tell us that you shouldn't come to my altar if you haven't reconcile with your brother? Doesn't God tell us not to judge others? Through her life, Corinne's growing and losing of faith reflect that even honest doubt is still better than pretending to have faith, better than faith with a narrow-mind, faith that is blind to see one's own fault,or faith that judges other people to go to Hell. How many times, after we sing and praise the Lord, and read the Bible, we go home and then hurt those people in our family? How many times we doubt but don't dare to admit to others because we want to be accepted in the community? I think watching this film and discussing about it with an open mind can help Christian community view themselves more honestly. If you watch the whole films, you will find that the moment that reflect "God" the most are the ones when the characters truly love,care,and accept one another, not the scene where praise song are sung or clever words are spoken. The most beautiful things in the movie was the good friendship between Corinne and Annika,the honest sharing of thought between Corinne and the Irish postman,and Corrine's courage to speak out about her doubt in front of her church for the last time. Those are the moment when God is reflected, not in ceremony, gospel singing, or church attending. And the scenes that make me feel a bit shamed of being a Christian because you know such mistakes do exist are: Wendy, Corinne's drug dealing sister, left her home after Corinne and her husband tried to preach to her in anger and force a faith upon her, the scene when the husband strangle Corinne's neck in the care after she tells him the truth how she feels, the scene when the counselor preached Hell fire to her and throw all the faults at her.

    In the end, you will understand why Corinne choose to stay "out with the dogs." (That dog in front of the church is really cute, by the way.) The only sad thing about this film that disappoint me was that it doesn't show "true faith" and "how to go through doubt after accepting that it exists in your heart." In every Christian community, I believe there are those whose faith are real and strong, not just pretending or make-believe. There are those people whose hearts are so beautiful and know what the real teaching of Jesus is and how it should be applied in life, but are wise enough to know that forcing a faith upon a non-believer or judging a sinner to go to Hell is contracting to what God asks us to do. These people do exist in Christian communities and they can really be a good example of others, even to non-believers.

    Recommend the film highly, but watch it with an open heart, please.
    helpful•10
    1
    • khemass
    • Jun 29, 2012

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 1, 2012 (New Zealand)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • This Dark World
    • Filming locations
      • Kingston, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Authentic Management Productions
      • BCDF Pictures
      • Ruminant Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $841,733
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $21,495
      • Aug 28, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,043,262
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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