Far from Heaven is a 2002 historical romantic drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes, and starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, and Patricia Clarkson. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where Moore won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, and cinematographer Edward Lachman won a prize for Outstanding Individual Contribution.
The film tells the story of Cathy Whitaker, a 1950s housewife, living in wealthy suburban Connecticut as she sees her seemingly perfect life begin to fall apart. Haynes pays homage to the films of Douglas Sirk (especially 1955's All That Heaven Allows, 1956's Written on the Wind, and 1959's Imitation of Life), and explores race, gender roles, sexual orientation, and class in the context of 1950s America.
Far from Heaven received numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations. For her performance, Moore was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild, and won at the Critics' Choice Awards, while Quaid was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild.
