Grace (2009) quick review

Grace (2009) Dir. by Paul Solet

After losing her unborn child, Madeline Matheson insists on carrying the baby to term. Following the delivery, the child miraculously returns to life with an appetite for human blood. Madeline is faced with a mother's ultimate decision.

This movie is so disturbing on a number of levels. There is a scene where the baby is born stillborn, and she still treats this dead baby like it is alive. I cringed at the thought, and maybe that's just me being a father of two, but it was very moving. Jordan Ladd does an amazing job in this film, and I think it was the first time she has actually shown any great acting talent. Her previous films include Waiting, Club Dread, and Grindhouse. She shows depth in her character, and adds an extremely real element to the story. Don't get me wrong, the story is fairly far-fetched, but she brings previously untapped emotions to this previously used style of film. Her supporting cast was about as good as it was going to get, and each character disturbing in their own way. Gabrielle Rose (Jennifer's Body, Lost Boys 2) gives a great performance as the husbands mother, almost sexually obsessed with her own son, and an overbearing mother-in-law. Samantha Ferris ("Supernatural", Blackwoods) gives an interesting take on midwife, but becoming an obsessed lesbian, pining for her student.



The movie itself shouldn't really be considered a horror since it rarely scares, but it does encompass a number of genres in one film which is really hard to do. I haven't seen the short film Grace, same story just shorter, but I have reason to believe it might be a better fit for the film. This version just seems long and stretched out and I think that really takes some tension away from the story itself. I did enjoy the movie, but at times it just seemed really slow moving. Some of the characters took up screen time to develop, and we really didn't need to know that much about the character, and that is a bad filler just used to lengthen a film. The ending does bring back some of that tension needed to drive a film like this, but it is almost too little too late. I like the art house style of filming, and the camera shots angles are great. It could have been written a bit better, and the ending was a little ridiculous. I think the movie is good for one viewing but I don't see much rewatch value in it.

Entertainment Value: 6/10 Blood Filled Bottles
Cinematic Value: 6/10 Blood Filled Bottles