This sumptuous pastiche of the Fifties melodramas of Douglas Sirk, shows a Cosmopolitan-style idyll of Fifties suburban modernity cracking open under the strain of sexual and racial tensions.

At the centre of the film is Cathy (Julianne Moore with blonde coiffure) a Connecticut socialite, and mother of two. She is the model society woman, brought to life out of those Fifties magazine advertisements for glamorous living. Not only is she rich, beautiful and white, she is married to a successful TV exec, Frank (Dennis Quaid), a lavish hostess, a woman, the local newspaper gushes, "as devoted to her family as she is kind to Negroes".

However, her perma-smile wilts when she walks in on Frank in the embrace of another man. Feeling humiliated and embarrassed, Frank promises to see a psychiatrist for his "illness", but his repression drives him to the bottle, which leads to ugly scenes in front of their gossipy friends and growing estrangement between husband and wife. In a state of emotional turmoil, Cathy breaks with societal attitudes and finds solace in the company of her black gardener, Raymond (Dennis Haysbert). To Cathy's surprise he is a man of sensitivity and sophistication.

Director Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine, Safe) has the look, the mores and the storytelling style down to a Fifties tee. Cinematographer Ed Lachman and set designer Mark Friedberg's combine their talents to create a look that is bursting with colour. Cathy also sails across the screen in an array of vivid outfits - sweeping, tent-like frocks, buttoned up skirt suits with matching gloves, gowns - that would have a Barbie doll green with envy.

The storytelling mimics the genre with the camera being discrete and looking away when things threaten to get steamy. What is left unsaid, is communicated through glances, silences and pregnant pauses. There are amusing touches such as when Cathy is driving we see her Fifties-film-style, steering the wheel against the backdrop of a film of a road receding.

With a film so preoccupied with tone, style and visuals the lead performances are all the more important. Dennis Quaid as the gravel-voiced hubby striving with inner "demons" is an excellent choice given that he is so well-known for his manly hetero roles. Dennis Haysbert slips easily into the role of the quiet-but-strong Raymond, providing welcome relief to Frank's bouts of caustic self-pity.

As for Julianne Moore, her perfectly pitched performance, deeply sympathetic as the long-suffering housewife but easily swayed as the fickle socialite, is worth watching for alone.

If there is one criticism it would be that in his pursuit of stylistic perfection, Haynes neglects the impetus of the narrative. There's a feeling that something more should have happened in the course on the film. But even if it may not "just make you bawl" as Haynes has said he wanted it to, this is an intelligent and aesthetically pleasing film all the same.