The Eyes of Tammy Faye (12A)
Directed by Michael Showalter

DESCRIBED as the Barbie and Ken of televangelists, this compelling drama depicts the epic rise and fall of trailblazing Christian power couple Tammy Faye Bakker and her husband Jim.

Based on the documentary of the same name by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, it is viewed through the eyes of Tammy Faye, played by Jessica Chastain in a transformative and Oscar-worthy performance.

Very much like Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana and Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball, Chastain is totally unrecognisable as she embodies Tammy Faye — her trademark eyelashes, her distinctive singing voice and, of course, her unwavering faith.

The film has a very retro feel, capturing the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s perfectly as it chronicles how Tammy and her charismatic husband, portrayed magnificently by Andrew Garfield, met and, from humble beginnings, rose to create the world’s largest religious broadcasting network and theme park.

They were revered by their followers for the love and tolerance that they preached; Tammy’s unwavering determination to embrace people from all walks of life provoked the ire of fellow TV ministers, whom she confronted over their homophobic views.

Her mother (Cherry Jones) tells her: “You follow blindly, in the end all you are is blind,” as she seems oblivious to her husband’s misuse of ministry funds, raised from viewers and donors, for which he was later convicted, resulting in the downfall of their empire.

She is an extraordinary character — an upbeat force of nature deluded by her white privilege and rich trappings, desperate to help the needy and the disenfranchised.

It is a fascinating biopic that feels more like a made-for-TV film, but is worth seeing for Chastain’s tour-de-force performance.

Maria Duarte
In cinemas