Amish Grace

This is a great movie. I borrowed it from our local library. I have been reading a lot of books lately on the Amish and am very interested in their lifestyle. This movie seemed to portray their lifestyle pretty accurately.

I was particularly impressed with Matt Letscher's performance as an Amish husband and father and a "plain man". It was excellent and right on target! I had never seen him before or even knew who he was but I signed onto this website just so I could let him know how good his portrayal was. His grief and pain were so real I couldn't hold back the tears. I know Ms Paisley got top billing and was supposed to be the star of the movie, but her performance was not that great. She was so angry all the time. I think it is easier to show anger than to show the grief and inner turmoil that Mr. Letscher had to portray.

I wish somehow this review will be read by him and he will know that his performance was appreciated.

Amish Grace is an amazing depiction of grace and forgiveness, yet it shows the struggle of real people to offer the forgiveness they have been taught to give. I appreciate the fact that although the writers wanted to show the amazing forgiveness offered by this community to an terrible aggressor, they show an honest look into the lives of those who struggle to act according to the faith they are living.

I was also touched by the affective communication and interaction of this separatist community with the "English" (those outside their community). I found this movie to be a very respectful depiction of this people who are little understood by outsiders.

I'm thankful for this cinematic look into the community and hearts of a people so moved by God to love and forgive in the midst of great loss and tragedy.

Though the makers of this film got many things wrong in the depiction of Amish home life (a large open hutch filled with decorative plates on display, an Amish woman sleeping in her bonnet? - Absurd.) ALL is FORGIVEN for the powerful message and the honest portrayal of how difficult it is sometimes to follow Christ and obey; but oh, the rewards! Great cast, great acting, great dialogue; though I do wish the Amish had been portrayed with the Dutch/German accent.

The catalyst event was handled with great discretion and sensitivity. The tension between a bereaved mother and the widow of the shooter was masterfully portrayed, and spot on!

This is an important movie about an important topic, and is desperately needed in the world now!

I'm going to watch it again.

This movie showed that while forgiveness isn't something that comes naturally, it is something that harms not necessarily the object of hatred but, rather, it harms ourselves, our own lives, & those around us. THIS is the lesson of this movie.

It tells you right out that it's a fictionalized version of the real event, so I have no problem w/the bits of "drama" added, as another reviewer has indicated. None of that detracted from the important message, & that was the key point. If you have a heart & a soul, you will FEEL this movie ... & be forced to reconsider the next time someone does something petty to you & yours & your automatic reaction is to make them pay--because you will remember this movie, & know that if you can't get over that, you'll never get over the really difficult times.

STORY - Based on the true story of the murder of five innocent Amish school girls in 2006 in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. The main family in the story is fictional, however. Great acting and screenplay. Emotional without being manipulative. Violent without showing any violence. Inspirational without being preachy. I have always been critical of faith-based films that are basically 'sermons disguised as films'. Faith-based films should be great stories where the message is an integral part of the story. This is one of those. At the heart of the story is a horrific crime. A lone gunman backs his pickup to a one room Amish school, walks in and proceeds to kill five young Amish girls and wound five others. What happens after that is almost as unbelievable. Three Amish men, including the father of one of the victims, visit the home of the killer to offer forgiveness and help to the gunman's widow. But not everyone finds it easy to forgive. Ida Graber (Paisley) isn't buying it. 'I will not betray my daughter by forgiving her killer'. What follows is for the most part the struggle between two women, both mothers & wives, struggling with forgiveness and their husbands from two totally different perspectives. While we may all have a tendency to see the Amish as stoic and and almost mechanical or robotic in their faith, this is not at all what comes thru in the film. While raising (but not answering) some inconsistencies in their practices, we see them as real humans struggling to deal with this horrific crime against their community. One of the most powerful scenes is at the funeral for the gunman. This is a movie that will haunt you and stick with you as you consider (at least I did) how to live out a live of forgiving with even just the most mundane grievances. What could this mean for communities, our nation and our world if forgiveness were truly practiced. I highly recommend this film.