Far from Heaven

Synopsis: Cathy is the perfect 50s housewife, living the perfect 50s life: healthy kids, successful husband, social prominence. Then one night she stumbles in on her husband Frank, kissing another man, and her tidy world starts spinning out of control. In her confusion and grief, she finds consolation in the friendship of their African-American gardener, Raymond - a socially taboo relationship that leads to the further disintegration of life as she knew it. Despite Cathy and Frank's struggle to keep their marriage afloat, the reality of his homosexuality and her feelings for Raymond open a painful, if more honest, chapter in their lives.
Genre: Drama
Director(s): Todd Haynes
Production: USA Films
  Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 101 wins & 91 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.4
Metacritic:
84
Rotten Tomatoes:
87%
PG-13
Year:
2002
107 min
$15,900,000
Website
474 Views


Mother! Mother,

can I sleep over at Hutch's tonight?

Mrs. Hutchinson

gave permission.

Not tonight, David.

Your father and I are going out,

and I need you

to look after your sister.

Aw, shucks.

Now move out of the way

so Mother can park.

Sherry Seeger says they only

cost five or six dollars.

Please, Mother.

Please, can I?

Oh, Sybil, thank heavens.

Well, I knew you were

going to the grocery.

David, please help Sybil

unload the car.

How come Janice

doesn't got to?

Doesn't have to.

Because Janice is carrying

in all her belongings...

and marching straight

upstairs into a bath.

Your father and I have

an engagement tonight, so I want

you to have a nice early dinner.

And help Sybil.

Yes, ma'am.

Sybil, did Mr. Whitaker call

while I was out?

Not since youve been gone.

How do you like that guy?

Mother, can I please get them?

Janice, I said we'd

discuss it with your father.

Now hurry on inside.

David, put your bike away

and help with the groceries.

Where's your jacket?

It's inside.

Well, hello, stranger.

Aren't I seeing you

in about three hours' time?

You are.

But I just left the caterers

and I had to dash over.

Oh, you have

the samples?

You bet.

Oh, come inside.

You just caught me actually.

I could only stay a second.

I still have loads to do.

David, what did

I tell you?

I'm getting the last bag.

And imagine

with the table setting

I showed you.

The aqua trim.

Is that smart?

Oh, yes.

You like?

Mm-hmm.

Well, I'll call the caterer

in the morning, you confirm

with Dorothy on the deposit...

and, honey,

we're in business.

Magnatech '57,

here we come.

You betcha.

Thanks for stopping by, El.

I'll see you at 8:00.

You know Frank--

on the dot.

Mother?

Mm-hmm.

When you were a little girl,

you looked just like me, right?

Mm-hmm.

So, when I grow up,

does that mean I'll look like you?

I s that what

you want, darling,

to look like me?

Yes, I hope I look

exactly as pretty as you.

What a lovely compliment

coming from my perfectly

lovely daughter.

7:
15.

Where on Earth

is your father?

Sybil, did I leave

my gloves on the hall table?

Yes, I see them.

It's nearly 20 after

and Mr. Whitaker

still hasn't phoned?

I'm at my wits' end.

Oh, thank you, Sybil.

I tried phoning the office

even though I knew

no one would be there.

I certainly hope that's him,

because if it isn't--

Whitaker residence.

This is the

Hartford Police Department...

calling for a Mrs. Frank Whitaker.

Who is it?

The police department.

Hello?

Yes, am I speaking

with a Mrs. Frank Whitaker?

Yes.

One moment, please.

Cathy?

Oh, Frank.

Are you all right?

What happened?

Everything's fine.

It was all

just a big mix up--

the whole thing.

But you have to come get me.

They wont let me leave on my own.

Oh, Frank, don't worry, darling.

I'll be there as soon as I can.

Is there anything

I can do, Mrs. Whitaker?

Just keep an eye on the children,

please. I don't think I'll be very long.

Big time f*ggot.

Family man.

Never can tell.

Say, get a load of this one.

You don't see that every day

of the week.

This is your copy, ma'am,

and your receipt.

Thank you.

Oh, Frank.

I tell you one thing--

if it hadn't been for that

snivelling junior cop,

they would have never

gone through this whole charade

in the first place.

Instead of trying to save face--

I saw that guy that they were after,

that loiterer.

But they wouldnt

listen to me.

So, there were

drinks after work?

What do you mean?

They said something,

intoxication level, something--

Christ, I had one lousy cocktail

with Bill after work

going over the portfolio.

Should I be

arrested for that too?

No, of course not, darling.

The whole thing has

just put me in a foul state.

He's fine.

Oh, the car's fine.

Frank says it was

the bumper that got hit.

But you know me,

I can't tell the difference.

Oh, I'm just sorry

we had to miss it.

She was fine.

Said it was all a dreadful bore,

what with Mona Lauder...

and her gossip.

Cathy,

I'm sorry.

Darling, you've nothing

to be sorry for.

It was all just

a silly, wretched mistake.

Ohh.

I'm so tired.

Of course you are.

You sleep now.

The bus is here.

Have a good day at school.

Bye.

I thought you were going to

have another piece of toast.

It's late. I should

be getting down there.

Can I at least fix you lunch?

No, thank you, dear. I've got

lunch meetings all week.

It's portfolio season.

Sybil, if thats the milkman,

his check is in the drawer.

I'm just glad you're

feeling better, dear.

Thank you, darling.

Pardon me, ma'am, sir.

Mrs. Whitaker, this is Mrs. Leacock.

She said she had an appointment

with you this morning.

Oh, jiminy, I completely

forgot the time.

Please forgive me.

I do apologize,

Mrs. Whitaker,

but candid views are

always the best.

Good-bye, darling.

Good-bye, dear.

Mrs. Leacock.

Pleasure, Mr. Whitaker.

Your husband's

a very charming man,

Mrs. Whitaker.

Thank you. We're rather

fond of him ourselves.

Now, please, wont you come in?

Make yourselves at home.

I suppose

I still can't imagine...

why you would want

an interview with someone

like me in the first place.

Readers of the Weekly Gazette,

Mrs. Whitaker--

women just like yourself--

with families

and homes to keep up.

A good society paper...

need not be a gossip rag.

You are the proud wife...

of a successful sales executive--

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Todd Haynes

Todd Haynes (; born January 2, 1961) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is considered a pioneer of the New Queer Cinema movement of filmmaking that emerged in the early 1990s. Haynes first gained public attention with his controversial short film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987), which chronicles singer Karen Carpenter's tragic life and death, using Barbie dolls as actors. Haynes had not obtained proper licensing to use the Carpenters' music, prompting a lawsuit from Richard Carpenter, whom the film portrayed in an unflattering light, banning the film's distribution. Superstar became a cult classic.Haynes' feature directorial debut, Poison (1991), a provocative, three-part exploration of AIDS-era queer perceptions and subversions, established him as a formidable talent and figure of a new transgressive cinema. Poison won the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize and is regarded as a seminal work of New Queer Cinema. Haynes received further acclaim for his second feature film Safe (1995), a symbolic portrait of a housewife who develops extreme allergic reactions to her suburban life. Safe was later voted the best film of the 1990s by The Village Voice Film Poll. Haynes' next feature, Velvet Goldmine (1998), is a tribute to the 1970s glam rock era, drawing heavily on the rock histories and mythologies of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed. The film received the Special Jury Prize for Best Artistic Contribution at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design. Haynes gained critical acclaim and a measure of mainstream success with his 2002 feature, Far from Heaven. Inspired by the cinematic language of the films of Douglas Sirk, Far From Heaven is a 1950s-set melodrama about a Connecticut housewife who discovers that her husband is gay and falls in love with her African-American gardener. The film received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Screenplay for Haynes. His fifth feature, I'm Not There (2007), marked another shift in direction. A nonlinear biopic, I'm Not There depicts various facets of Bob Dylan through seven fictionalized characters played by five actors and an actress. I'm Not There received critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett. In 2011, Haynes directed and co-wrote Mildred Pierce, a five-hour mini-series for HBO, which garnered 21 Emmy Award nominations, winning five, as well as four Golden Globe Award nominations and a win for lead actress Kate Winslet. In 2015, Haynes returned to the big screen with Carol, his sixth feature film and the first film not written by him. Based on Patricia Highsmith's seminal romance novel The Price of Salt, Carol is the story of a forbidden love affair between two women from different classes and backgrounds in early 1950s New York City. The film received critical acclaim and many accolades including six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe Award nominations, and nine BAFTA Award nominations. more…

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