Grace
by Paul Solet
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DVD details
Actor: Gabrielle Rose, Jordan Ladd, Malcolm Stewart, Samantha Ferris, Stephen ParkDirector: Paul Solet
Brand: ABE
Cinematographer: Zoran Popovic
Composer: Austin Wintory
Editor: John Coniglio
Editor: Darrin Navarro
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, NTSC
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 84 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-09-15
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Product features:
- Eight months pregnant, Madeline Matheson (Jordan Ladd) deflects her demanding mother-in-law s insistent pressure for standard hospital treatment, instead opting for the peaceful companionship of a trusted midwife. Though reluctantly compliant, her husband remains supportive of her choices until a sudden tragic accident leaves her unborn baby lifeless inside of her. Madeline remains determined to c
DVD Reviews of Grace
DVD Review: Blood In A Baby Bottle...It Does a Body GOOD!!
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I've been real disappointed with American horror the last few years. Most of them have cheapened their style in utilizing elaborate special effects, a weak storyline, remakes and beautiful people. I wasn't expecting much with writer/director Paul Solet's "Grace", and surprisingly, it proved to be an overpowering horror film. It would be easy to dismiss the film as another "It's Alive" rip off or just another attempt at vampire horror. The film utilizes the fine art of cerebral intrusion, it doesn't follow the standard rules of the horror genre and instead turns the ugly head of something that is supposed to be an amazing experience; a mother nursing her own baby. "Grace" has all the makings of a successful low-budget horror film; it is twisted, shocking and maddening...the film just feels wrong.
Madeline and Michael (Jordan Ladd and Stephen Park respectively) is a young couple who is very adamant on having a child and have finally gotten 8 months pregnant again. They have suffered through 2 miscarriages and out of desperation, they opt to seek the services of a midwife clinic headed by Patricia Lang (Samantha Ferris). One evening, a car accident takes the life of Madeline's husband and her baby had been determined also dead. Madeline decides to carry the baby nonetheless, and to pretend that the baby is still born. When she does give birth, her baby is lifeless but miraculously, the baby comes to life; Madeline considers the event as divine intervention and names her child Grace. However, the problems begin when she takes her baby home as strange things begin to happen and Madeline finds that her baby requires not mother's milk but fresh human blood. Madeline is still determined to see things through, even at the possible cause of her very life.
I am quite surprised that I haven't heard of Paul Solet. He has displayed intelligence, a great methodical approach and finesse in the making of this horror movie. I thought I was about to see a baby on a bloodlust much like "It's Alive", the Filipino horror movie "Tianak" or the Japanese horror movie "Tamami: The Baby's Curse" but surprisingly the plot of this film while very simple manages to find the right tone, style to pull off this very disturbing horror film. Solet's direction sidesteps the mechanics of standard horror filmmaking; in "Grace", there is no threat to be eliminated or vanquished. This film is more about the psychological state of a mother and her twisted desire to keep her child alive.
Solet manages to display quite a few freaky images. The sight of a mother feeding her baby should be beautiful and amazing, it is just so downright unsettling to see it seem so ominous and creepy. It is just so wrong to see a baby rejecting her own mother's milk and starts feeding off her life giving blood. Which as a result drives her to extreme anemia. Jordan Ladd gives an excellent performance as Madeline (this film may prove to be her best performance), and in this film one has to take into account that this mother had suffered through two miscarriages and her state of mind has to be brought into question/consideration. The film isn't about jump scares, scary images and special effects but more on visual cerebral images that can make the viewer very uncomfortable.
I've mentioned that there is no threat to be eliminated and no one gets killed by this inhuman baby. The baby itself is innocent, it is the situation that serves as the main antagonist. Madeline's child is as innocent, cute and adorable as your usual baby; she is as helpless as a babe, incapable of defending herself or harming anyone. Grace the baby is just doing what every other baby does when she's hungry; she feeds. There is no malevolence or unkindness to what she does, it is no fault of her own that her situation is both a phenomenon and a curse. I think parts of the mythos of the film can be attributed to the myths of the "shell". A myth where a soulless shell (or body) left out in the open can attract several spirits, even demonic ones. Warning signs signify this myth through the flies that hover above the crib, sensitivity to water and the infant's bad odor.
Madeline wholeheartedly subjects herself to the immensity of the situation, as she would do anything to protect and sustain the life of her child. She never intentionally kills anyone to feed her child, whoever she attacks holds malice towards her and her baby; it is a twisted idea of self defense. The film's driving force comes NOT from hatred or trepidation...love or the twisted understanding of it is the one thing that drives the horror of this film. Mothers are naturally protective of their children. Again, it is imperative to consider the mother's feelings to appreciate this horror movie.
I also have to commend the efforts that Solet made to restrain from the usual clichés. Solet respects his audience and presents a methodical horror film without good and evil; he appreciates the fact that for a horror movie to be truly effective, his audience has to have an investment in his characters. "Grace" is a horrifying character study in the way the script is structured. Solet magnificently avoids jump scares, teenage stereotypes and caricature-like characters. The direction gives the main characters time to settle in to his audience as we see their state of mind even as the two make love in the opening act. Madeline raises her knees to insure pregnancy, the scenes speak a lot for their characters. Solet firmly believes that a picture is worth a thousand words. Even the character of Vivian, Madeline's mother-in-law (played by Gabrielle Rose) who came dangerously close to becoming cliché; Solet manages to give her some needed depth. After her son's lost, she just becomes obsessed in playing the role of a mother that is given credibility when she checks her own 'milk situation'. This is a film about mothers and the pain about losing an offspring. Solet brings every point across through the sleek photography and simple execution.
Jordan Ladd carries the burden of the film and she delivers. "Grace" is also a film about isolation and alienation; Ladd spends most of the screenplay by herself. Her baby may be the film's driving force, but its emotional and narrative impact is carried by Ladd by herself. Her role is no walk in the park, and Ladd delivers. She performs astonishingly well as a mother under a lot of mental torture. She keeps her character grounded, and keeps her "Madeline" from becoming over-the-top. For a character at her lowest ebb, it is tempting to deliver the scenes with just false bravado. The scene with Madeline standing over the crib as the sun rises is just breathtaking. This film has made me a fan of Jordan Ladd.
I do hope that this isn't his last horror film, American horror needs more writers and directors like Paul Solet. The finesse, the craftsmanship just contributes to the every aspect of the film's tone and plot. One minor flaw that I can find is that the hints of the lesbian subplot may feel a little out of place and there is an underlying plot hole as to the baby's condition before she was brought home. The climax may also be missing a few details but I can easily look pass that. "Grace" is right in the brink of exceptional filmmaking. "Grace" is just primal, visceral, disturbing, an amazingly well-made horror film that generates its terror from emotions. Fans of fast-paced jumps and thrills may be disappointed since the film is a little slow in the first half.
"Grace" is artistically rendered and utterly unnerving. There is just something unsettling about a movie that depicts the horror of childbirth and "Grace" draws its strength from that. This may not be essential to horror fanatics but it is a refreshing reminder just how awesome and compelling horror films can become.
Highly Recommended!! [4+ Stars]
Video/Audio: 2.35 ratio anamorphic widescreen. The PQ was intentionally shot to have some grain in the scenes. The colors and contrast are good with good black levels. The 5.1 Dolby Digital track is powerful and clear.
Description of Grace
No description available for this title.Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: R
Street Date: 09/15/09
Wide Screen: yes
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
Language: ENGLISH
Foreign Film: noSubtitles: no
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: no
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve
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