I had tempered expectations going into this one. I couldn't sleep and was looking for a typical romantic sob story to pass out to. The lead guy on the poster was very attractive, he has a Vince Vaughn/Tom Hardy vibe that was worth the $4 in and of itself. I was half expecting it to be some Lifetime knock off movie and although it kinda starts down that path, there is a pretty intense shocker early on that steers the story in a direction that most will not expect.
The main actor, Shannon Brown, carries the film beautifully. He turns out to be much more than a typical movie heartthrob with no actual substance. There is depth and nuance to his layered performance that is easy to engage with as a viewer. This is a very challenging character that he pulls off masterfully. Hilary Anderson is also very powerful in this as the female lead. She is instantly likable and someone that is easy to pull for. She has a very grounded, earthy aspect to her performance which is very believable. The connection she shares with Brown is very strong and believable. Overall, the entire cast delivers with a couple of unfortunate exceptions. A couple of the supporting characters seem to cheapen the story and just seem out of place for this type of genre. There's a 40-50 yr old Goth dude that does a very dated and offensive gay/straight bit that I could have done without. Keeping with the outdated theme, there's a pear shaped friend that looks like a roadie from a 80's garage band that never quite made it out of the garage. This obvious amateur actor showcased forced, predictable cheap humor that also doesn't seem to fit the tone of the story. Speaking of creepers, there's an old guy that just kind of appears throughout although they do a decent job of justifying his presence at the end. I got a little annoyed when these characters were on the screen.
The production value is a bit lacking even for an indie, but overall this film was very well done. The story, the pace, the direction, the score and mainly the performances by the leads will keep you engaged. I am now a fan of both Shannon Brown and Hilary Anderson and I'll be on the lookout for other work they are featured in. I've never heard of the director, Matthew Cichella, but I will also be looking for other work of his. Without Grace isn't the typical chic flic I thought I was renting, but that's a good thing. Once I realized it was based on a true story, I actually watched it again and it was somehow even better the second time. Lose the Razor character and the Terry character and maybe dial down the creep factor a bit on the old homeless guy and this movie is a 10! Either way, I give it a well earned 8/10 and a strong recommendation. Overall its a worthy entry into the romantic drama genre category with a hint of faith based energy that will offend some but be very relatable to most.
