Higher Ground

At the very least, credit Vera Farmiga with some audacity in her directorial debut.

The versatile Oscar-nominated actress continues her trend of risk-taking choices behind the camera with Higher Ground, a provocative examination of one woman’s longtime struggle with her faith.

Such a concept, even in the broadest sense, might threaten to polarize its audience almost instantly if it weren’t handled with the sensitivity and skill that Farmiga displays, both as an actress and a filmmaker. It’s essentially a character study that treats its subject matter seriously, taking an even-handed perspective that doesn’t resort to cheap proselytizing.

In other words, it doesn’t aim to offend anyone, but doesn’t exactly play it safe, either.

Farmiga (The Departed, Up in the Air) stars as Corinne, who as a young woman strayed from her evaneglical Christian upbringing during the 1960s. She rediscovers her faith following an accident during which her infant daughter is almost killed, leading Corinne and her musician husband Ethan (Joshua Leonard) to live a born-again lifestyle.

They join a small church led by a progressive young pastor (Norbert Leo Butz) and immerse themselves in their faith. Eventually, however, spiritual questions surface for Corinne after a series of family problems and near-tragedies, including the deteriorating health of her best friend (Dagmara Dominczyk). As Corinne questions her beliefs, it threatens to tear apart her family.

There’s plenty of dramatic ambition on display in Higher Ground, which was adapted by Carolyn Briggs from her memoir “This Dark World.” Ambition alone doesn’t make a compelling film, yet this drama has some substance if it lacks much style.

The direction is uneven and the pace is too deliberate. And while it doesn’t resort to turning outright heavy-handed, the film lacks enough subtlety in spots to make Corinne’s inner turmoil feel genuine. The ending settles for a frustrating ambiguity that feels like a cop-out.

Still, those are minor issues. Farmiga’s performance is solid, and the film’s refusal to provide easy answers might lead open-minded viewers not to question their own faith, but the complexities of religion itself, which is difficult to do in an age of knee-jerk agenda pushing.

Rated R, 109 minutes.