Restlessness, thy name is Woman. The absorbing and character-driven autobiographical drama Heaven’s Floor begins with photographer Julia (Clea Duvall) finishing a shoot, but then being reluctant to go home. Now Julia has built herself a comfortable West LA life – career, marriage, kid, friends, house. What is she missing?
Julia feeds her wanderlust by impulsively joining an arctic adventure led by Jack, a charming reprobate. This isn’t fair to Julia’s husband Ed, but he dutifully covers for her on the home front. The trip to the Canadian Arctic becomes more nightmare than adventure, and Julia is marooned in a small Inuit village where she meets an orphaned girl. Both Julia’s compassion and her impulsivity kick into high gear, and we are off on a journey that will indelibly change several lives.
Note that Heaven’s Floor is autobiographical. Indeed, what seem like the most improbable and extreme plot points in Heaven’s Floor really happened to writer-director Lori Stoll. Stoll’s real life background as a photographer also informed the film’s cinematography – and the scenes in the Arctic are particularly impressive.
There’s plenty of exciting, true life adventure in Heaven’s Floor. But, at its core, it is an evocatively crafted character study of Julia – her restlessness, impulsivity, compassion and emotional needs. Heaven’s Floor takes on a quest that may – or may not – satisfy those needs and complete the already complicated Julia.
Although it’s anything but a showy role, the part of Julia’s husband Ed is also remarkably written. Movies are not often kind to characters who resist someone’s “following their heart”, no matter how impractical or whatever the consequences to others. Yet Stoll’s depiction of the husband Ed is very sympathetic, as someone reacting with understandable resistance to impulsive, unilateral and life-changing commitments.
Clea DuVall has a knack for making small parts in good movies (21 Grams, Zodiac, Argo) memorable. Here, she gets her chance at a leading role and her Julia keeps us on the edge of our seats; we care about her, but have no idea what she’s going to jump into next. Toby Huss is very, very good as Julie’s loving but aggrieved husband Ed. Veteran Irish actor Timothy V. Murphy sparkles as the huckster adventurer Jack who could sell the proverbial ice to Eskimos.
Heaven’s Floor is one of the 129 Cinequest films directed by a woman. Heaven’s Floor’s World Premiere is at 6:45 PM on Friday, March 4 at Cinequest with more screenings on March 6 and 11.
Coming on Friday: an interview with Heaven’s Floor writer/director Lori Stoll.