DVD review: 'Higher Ground'

Praise be to Vera Farmiga for proving to be as miraculous behind the camera as she is in front of it with “Higher Ground,” one of 2011′s bravest dramatic creations, now available in a

Many a filmmaker would be daunted by this bold screenplay based on a memoir by Carolyn S. Briggs about her life in an evangelical Christian community, but Farmiga steps up with a sure yet sensitive hand, drawing uniformly strong performances from an excellent ensemble cast.

And Farmiga shines brightest of all in the central role of Corrine, a woman who shakes up the devout members of the radical New Testament church when she dares to question the religious dogma she has embraced all of her adult life. Corrine and her husband, Ethan, had turned to dedicated Christianity as young newlyweds after their baby daughter narrowly escaped death in the crash of Ethan’s rock band’s van.

Now, after years of daily Bible study, strict family practices and bracing for the Rapture, a growing feeling of spiritual emptiness and disillusionment — plus a tragedy that befalls one of her best female friends — causes Corrine’s faith to falter, which in turn triggers the growing resentment of the rest of the flock and the unraveling of her marriage.