Far from Heaven

Far from Heaven is a 2002 historical romantic drama film directed and written by Todd Haynes, starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert and Patricia Clarkson. Moore plays a 1950s housewife living in wealthy suburban Connecticut as she sees her seemingly perfect life begin to fall apart. Haynes intended the film as an homage to the melodramas of Douglas Sirk (especially 1955's All That Heaven Allows, 1956's Written on the Wind, and 1959's Imitation of Life), which explored issues of social entrapment and taboo relationships. Haynes extended those subjects to include interracial relationships, gender roles, sexual orientation, and class in the context of 1950s America. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2002, where Moore won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, and cinematographer Edward Lachman won a prize for Outstanding Individual Contribution. Far from Heaven received numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress for Moore and Best Original Screenplay. Moore was also nominated for a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award, while Quaid was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.