Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, Source Code) hasn’t aimed low with her debut directorial effort. Adapted from Carolyn S. Briggs’ memoir “This Dark World”, Higher Ground is a thoughtful, quiet film about Corinne, a woman struggling with her faith portrayed in later life by Farmiga herself. It’s ambitious territory to tread, especially when you consider Hollywood’s rocky track record at portraying faith in an evenhanded manner. Admittedly, during the film’s opening minutes I wondered whether I’d spend the rest of the film as I generally do when I infrequent church: bored and occasionally uncomfortable. But to my great pleasure, that never happened. I’m sure that in the hands of others Higher Ground could have easily run the risk of preaching to its audience, or at the other end of the spectrum, could have portrayed the members of the community at the film’s center as a bunch of backwater kooks. Mercifully, in the place of caricature, harsh judgement or sermonizing are great performances, and balanced depictions of real people.

Higher Ground visits Corinne at various stages of her life, at each point considering her relationship with her family and to the church. After narrowly avoiding tragedy by way of a car crash, the young Corinne (played by Farmiga’s younger sister, Taissa) and her husband Ethan enter in earnest to a born-again Christian. Shortly after, we meet an adult Corinne and her family in their position as prominent members of their evangelical community in the 1960s. One would be misleading to describe Higher Ground as a film in which “lots of things happen”. Honestly, they kind of don’t. Rather, it’s a fascinating and occasionally moving portrait of a vibrant, intelligent and naturally curious woman who feels increasingly stifled by her conservative yet well-meaning circle of existence.

What’s immensely refreshing about Higher Ground is that none of the characters — be they believers or otherwise — are ever portrayed as anything more than they are. Corinne’s alcoholic father (John Hawkes) is never a villain. Her devout born-again ex-musician husband (Joshua Leonard) isn’t depicted as a religious nut, nor are the other members of their congregation. Never are believers portrayed as having all of the answers, or anything resembling a perfect life. Equally, neither is it implied that without faith also comes an unfulfilled existence. Yes, Corinne does feel suppressed in her marriage, as well as in a community where she’s reprimanded for appearing to be “preaching” to male members of the congregation. That being said, however, Farmiga doesn’t take any heavy-handed shots at the members of Corinne’s sect; they’re all decent people doing their best to be good people (while also spending a hell of a lot of their time plucking at guitars and singing). At one point Ethan cries out for assistance from above in ridding Satan from the car in which he and Corinne just fought. This scene could have been mined for a cheap laugh at the hands of another director, or as an example of over-zealous weirdness. Yet under Farmiga’s guidance, it manages to be a sincere and honest glimpse at a man struggling to deal with the set of hurdles his life is suddenly faced with.

While we’re on the topic of sincere and honest (how’s that for a segue?), the great joy of Higher Ground are the performances to be found within it. Joshua Leonard is excellent as Ethan, as is Damara Dominczyk as Corinne’s free spirited confidante, Annika. Taissa Farmiga is a perfect little mini-Corinne, possessing the same quiet and enigmatic gaze as her elder sister. The director/star though, is truly the sight to behold. Farmiga carries the film with ease, as well as with those alarmingly blue eyes and a cackling, infectious laughter. Farmiga imbues Corinne with a believability, both within her faith and her increasing disillusionment. Plus, the camera is absolutely in love with her face. That much can’t be denied.

I’m sure that some who sit down to watch Higher Ground will have gripes with the pace and the lack of action, but I had no such complaints. Frequently moving, frequently funny, a pleasure to look at, a fascinating world to drop in on; Vera Farmiga has added yet one more notch to add to her belt of things that she is good at.

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