Two Films by Todd Haynes: "Safe" and "Far from Heaven" October 30, 2008

Set in an affluent neighbourhood of the San Fernando Valley in 1987, Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995, 119m) recounts the life of a seemingly unremarkable homemaker, Carol White (played by Julianne Moore) who develops multiple chemical sensitivity. As Carol displays increasingly disturbing and apparently causeless symptoms, the emotional emptiness of her life becomes clear and moving to a New Age community further beyond the suburbs only increases her isolation and illness. Described as a "horror movie of the soul," this eerie medical thriller was voted best film of the 1990s by the Village Voice and garnered Todd Haynes the American Independent Award from the Seattle International Film Festival.
In Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes, 2002, 107m), ordinary housewife Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) is forced to confront the boundaries of her life in suburban, 1950s Connecticut as her husband (Randy Quaid) begins to recognize his homosexuality and she begins a friendship and then a romantic relationship with the adult son (Dennis Haysbert) of her African-American gardener. Director Todd Haynes explicitly copies 1950s filmmaking styles and uses color and lighting to emphasize the tension and drama of the interactions between the film's characters. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay, and won Independent Spirit Awards for both Todd Haynes and Julianne Moore.

Official Website: http://www.ias.umn.edu/collabs08-09/TransnationalFilm.php