Grace (2009)
Starring Jordan Ladd, Stephen Park &
Gabrielle Rose
Directed by Paul Solet
Written by Paul Solet

 

Every story needs a protagonist and in Grace it comes in the form of Vivian Matheson (Gabrielle Rose), Madeline's overly critical mother-in-law. Everything is commented on and picked apart. Being a vegan, Madeline won't eat meat and of course this doesn't go unnoticed by Vivian. Nor does the fact that Grace has opted to use a midwife instead of a more traditional hospital birth. You see that Vivian has the potential to become a huge pain in the ass later on but it's just a passing observation as the beginnings of Grace are just so sunny that you find yourself getting comfortable with the picture that Solet is painting for you. Not to minimize it or mock it but, in the beginning, Grace has the feel of one of those Lifetime made-for-TV movies. I was half expecting Meredith Baxter-Birney or Susan Lucci to come waltzing out.

Of course, all good things must come to an end and in Grace they not only come to an end they shatter into a million pieces. A tragedy happens that causes grave injury to the unborn child and to Madeline's husband. Immediately after the tragedy Madeline utters the words, "She isn't moving". It's the she part that gets under your skin the most. They were waiting for she and now she isn't coming. Madeline discovers the baby is stillborn inside of her but makes the decision to carry the baby to term. Her midwife (played by the absolutely phenomenal Samantha Ferris) concurs that she needs to do what her body was meant to do naturally.

The "birth" scene is beyond heartbreaking. After an agonizing and brutal delivery Madeline finally gets to meet Grace and hold her to say her goodbyes. She needs to hold her. Instead of going for full-on melodrama here Solet gives us subtle touches. The way Madeline holds the baby, her finger gently brushing Grace's ear, whispering to her, as if willing her back to life. Just as the Midwife enters to take Grace away a miracle happens. Grace comes back to life.

Tests are offered for Grace but Madeline refuses as she doesn't want neither herself nor the baby to become case studies. No, this was a miracle, it was meant to be and Madeline has every intention of doing what she has dreamed, to take care of her baby. Watching Mother and child on a couch together in a sunlit room gives the hope that there will be nothing but sweet days ahead for the little family but, sadly, that isn't the case.

Grace's hair starts to fall out and she develops an odor that seems to draw out every fly in town to Grace's bedroom. Madeline tries to take care of it but all of the no-pest strips in the world can't solve the problem. Soon she realizes Grace doesn't need her milk to survive, she needs blood. This becomes an agonizing dichotomy for Madeline. She is a vegan but yet she is forced to supply blood, in any means possible, as nourishment for her child. She ignores all of the beliefs she had grown accustomed to before Grace came along because her love for her child is stronger than any personal, ethical or moral stance she takes.

Of course the mother-in-law gets involved and the role of Vivian becomes forced and contrived. She plays it a little over the top in her efforts to make sure we realize she is kind of evil. She indulges in a breast pumping scene that actually made me gag a little and shares a moment with her husband that is bizarre, uncomfortable and sad all at the same time.

Now long before seeing Paul Solet's GRACE I had heard the hype. Someone passing out at Sundance during a midnight showing (in total four have passed out!), baby bottles with the film's name being distributed at conventions, people walking around with dead baby dolls in Snugglies, and "birth announcements" that announced GRACE had arrived. Although I get how the film promotion machine works, stunts like this cause me to do little more than roll my eyes.

With all the shenanigans I asked myself the question: Does it live up to the hype?

The answer is yes and no. The upside is that Paul Solet's screenplay is so in tune with women and their emotions it is scary. Writing this good and this REAL for a female driven film is hard to come by and the fact that it came from a man is just so impressive to me. Also, kudos to Austin Wintory for a score that compliments Grace's exquisitely painful vibe. You can literally hear the pain drip from every string played in that score. Perfection.

The downside is that this is played towards the horror crowd. A dying baby isn't creepy or scary, it's sad. Pairing goofy baby stand-in puppet heads for close up shots and gore with a heartfelt storyline that completely envelops you and makes you care is almost offensive to the viewer. It's insensitive not spine tingling. It's like give me Terms of Endearment or Nightmare on Elm Street but don't try to mix the two.

I'm not sure what would have caused those four people to faint other than maybe wanting attention or perhaps they are just extremely sensitive. I remember my aunt telling me a tale once of how a woman sitting across from her during a 1973 showing of The Exorcist had passed out and fell into the aisle. You hear that and wonder what in the world is happening on that screen to make a human being actually lose consciousness? In the case of The Exorcist I know why but with Grace I'm not sure I understand. I was waiting for the scene that would make someone take a header into the aisle but it never came for me.

The ending of Grace will have ladies grabbing certain parts of themselves to make sure everything is intact. Watching a sweet little baby face next to such gore was the equivalent of Solet bursting into my living room, giving me a roundhouse kick to the face and exiting stage left. He took me to an emotional place then smacked the shit out of me but I'm left to wonder if that is good film making or just cheap tactics. I think I will need to see more from him to know for sure and in spite of all of my problems and reservations with Grace, I look forward to it.

CLICK HERE to purchase GRACE from Amazon.com

Special Features: Which were very thorough, well done and appreciated.

* Audio Commentary w/Director Paul Solet, Producer Adam Green, and Director-of-Photography Zoran Popovic
* Grace: Conception Featurette
* Grace: Family Featurette
* Her Mother's Eyes: The Look of Grace Featurette.
* Grace: Delivered Featurette
* Lullaby: Scoring Grace Featurette
* Grace at Sundance Featurette
* Trailer
* Screenplay DVD-ROM