Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid seem to have it all, the American dream is no dream in their lives. Married, two kids, lovely suburban home in Fairfield County, Connecticut where only the most rich and respectable and their help live. Being a gardener is the only way that their gardener Dennis Haysbert get to live there. Back then it was what was called in polite terms restricted. In the south they called it segregated. It's a den of WASPS.

At least Julianne thinks she has it all until she catches Dennis at home in the embrace of a man. That's pretty devastating now, back then it was cause for exile from the human race. This was the Fifties when gays were being purged from government during those Truman-Eisenhower years with no redress whatsoever.

Moore catches this indiscretion after them making a local magazine cover as Mr.&Mrs. Magna Corporation, Quaid as the hard driving business executive and Moore as a June Cleaver housewife. Quaid is going to seek help for this terrible weakness that makes him feel ashamed and rotten after each act. And psychiatrist James Rebhorn assures him that great strides have been made in treating homosexuals.

Quaid can stay in the closet as 98% of gays did at the time, but this little revelation sends Moore looking for the understanding company of Dennis Haysbert who is a widower raising a small daughter. When they're seen innocently together that's what gets the mouths of Fairfield county moving.

How it all gets resolved is the story of Quaid, Moore, and Haysbert, but along the way you get some really riveting performances from these three stars and the rest of the cast. Besides those mentioned look out for Patricia Clarkson as Moore's best friend who is a real serpent.

I do love how the script captures the flavor of Fairfield County back in the days of my youth. Note how Moore's friends refer to her amateur theatrical background about how she was known as 'red' for hanging out with all those Jewish boys who were restricted out. And someone makes a lame joke about Senator Joe McCarthy driving by in a car and hearing some naughty subversive talk. What was ironical about that is that McCarthy who was Catholic could never have bought a home in that WASP den anti-Communist US Senator notwithstanding.

Julianne Moore won one of four Oscar nominations that Far From Heaven got from the Academy, in this case for Best Actress. I'm not sure why Quaid wasn't recognized also, he was that good. Don't miss this one when it comes to television.

Having grown up on the wrong side of the tracks in the fifties, I have great appreciation for this film. Mine was a small town where everyone knew everyone else's business. This is a portrait of an incredible woman. It is played with a subtle touch by Julianne Moore. She faces two of the most incredible taboos that existed at that time: homosexuality (which was a mystery to everyone) and a woman's connection to a man of a different race (though entirely innocent). This brings out the hypocrisy and hatred, forced on enlightened people by a supposedly Christian society (actually things aren't that much different in 2010). This story is as simple as it is complex. The characters reveal themselves by their silences as much as their actions. Dennis Quaid's character could be seen as a victim, but he is personally hard to swallow. Yes, he should have the right to live and be happy, but his rants and his duplicity make him rather unappetizing. People talk about the good old days. They weren't so good for a large segment of the population.

In 1957, the Whitaker are the classic American family: Frank Whitaker (Dennis Quaid) is the beloved successful provider husband and Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) is the perfect mother and housewife. They have beautiful and obedient son and daughter and live in a lovely house in the Connecticut suburb. Everything works perfectly in the breast of the family, until the night when Cathy decides to take a meal to her husband, who is working in overtime in the office. A terrible secret is disclosed, affecting deeply the life of Cathy. This movie is a beautiful and dramatic romance in a conservative and racist American society in the 50s. The remarkable performance of the always magnificent Julianne Moore, very well supported by the excellent Dennis Quaid and Dennis Haysbert, and having a sharp direction and a wonderful photography in a marvelous reconstitution of a period make this movie outstandingly good. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): `Longe do Paraíso' (`Far From Heaven')