Review: Grace

Last Updated on July 26, 2021

Plot: When Madeline Matheson loses her unborn baby in an auto
accident, she insists to her midwife that she wants to carry it for the full
term. And once the baby is born, cold and lifeless, a miracle happens. Almost as
if she willed the child to life, Grace begins to cry. This one gets creepy.

Review: I can’t imagine the fear, the joy and all the other emotions
that must swarm around a woman expecting a child. There is something absolutely
beautiful and mysterious about childbirth. The love a mother feels for her baby
is profound and divine. That is exactly what Paul Solet manages to accomplish
with his disturbing and surprisingly thoughtful feature film entitled Grace. He
manages to create an original and quite chilling horror film that seems to drift
between family drama and thriller. Grace explores the desperation of two
mothers, and the deep and unsettling impact it has on the people around them. On
many levels, it transpires the terror of trying to save the life of your child
or grasping at the memory of motherhood long lost over the years. While there
are certainly comparisons to be made between this, and say, Rosemary’s
Baby or even The Brood, Paul’s ode to motherhood is exactly what the
title suggests it is, grace-ful.

The opening sequence consists of two people involved in what looks to be one of
the most pathetic and loveless acts of sex I’ve seen in awhile. The desperation
of the man who thrusts away, and the worn and sad face of the woman that he
finds his way inside. Yet, out of this sort of loveless act of f*cking, comes a
miracle. The woman, Madeline Matheson, finds that she is pregnant. And thanks to
a wonderful bit of casting, Jordan Ladd as Madeline is a very layered and
fascinating creation. Her weak willed husband, Michael Matheson (Stephen Park),
is still living in the shadow of his mother, and has problems with the way his
wife is handling her condition. Maddy has opted out of seeing a regular MD, but
has decided to see a midwife. And it is this decision that has Michael’s mother
horrified, after all, Vivian (Gabrielle Rose) knows what is best for Maddy and
her adoring son. Thus the stage is set for a underlying yet hurtful battle of
wills between the two women.
 
The power of this film is certainly charged by these two actresses. Both Ladd
and Rose are incredibly rich and fascinating. Mother is not only fighting a
battle for Michael, whom she feels she has lost to Maddy, but now she wants as
much of her grandchild as she can get. I guarantee this is probably a common
fight, and it makes for an involving watch. The funny thing is, while the actual
horror takes a little bit of time to develop, I was utterly intrigued by the
this bitter little pill. Whether Mr. Solet had this in mind, there is certainly
a bit of controversy as of late in regards to over-medication opposed to
bio-medical treatments for children and their families. This creates a very
timely and heart wrenching look at motherhood and how tough it can be. But
usually, these cases don’t get nearly as bloody and brutal as Grace eventually
becomes.

 
Now, I’m sure that this may sound like a Lifetime movie of the week, but don’t
be fooled. To give away too much about what happens would spoil the fun. And
yes, there is blood. Very rarely do I find myself feeling that sense of ‘ick’
that is found in something like Miike’s Audition. But that ick-factor is
very strong here. After all, the key to a beautiful childhood is in her mother’s
milk, although if a child develops a taste for something else, it could be
shocking and absolutely disturbing. Mr. Solet creates a beauty of a picture with
some serene images that mingle with a whole lot of creepy stuff, and I’m not
just taking horror. The emotional terror that surrounds Grace is pretty potent
stuff. While it may not carry the sheer audacity of Tashiki Miike’s Audition it
comes pretty close. Grace is engaging and disturbed as it explores the idea of
being a mother in a time when we may question the many chemicals that are being
spread thanks to over-medicating, vaccines and who knows what is inside the food
on our grocer’s shelves.,

Grace is a strikingly shot and powerful feature film. It explores the real
horrors that life has to offer, while still delving into the really dark and
macabre. Both Jordan Ladd and Gabrielle Rose are wonderful as the two women
searching for themselves in their children. Yet this is no Lifetime movie of the
week, this is a disturbing and scary horror film that deserves to be seen. I
can’t wait to see what Paul Solet brings us next… Grace is absolutely shocking
and beautiful.

Grade: 9.5/10