Child of Grace

This movie unfolds very slowly with a bit of confusion in the beginning when the movie goes back and forth between a father and young daughter traveling through California in an RV, to a sheriff in Maine who's trying to unravel an old crime, where new evidence has been discovered. The movie is awkwardly paced and the acting is not the best, but there is beautiful scenery and it kept me interested enough to watch till the end, to see what would transpire and find out what really happened to this family. Each time you think you might have guessed what's going on, there is more to the story. I just wish the pace and acting had been better.

The little girl, played by Maggie Elizabeth Jones was the best of the bunch. The more famous actor Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs) who plays the sheriff, and Tom Hildreth who plays the father/John, were both annoying in the way they spoke and their mannerisms. There is a very light Christian theme in parts of the movie and it has a touching conclusion, which wraps it all up nicely at the end. A typical Lifetime drama in my humble opinion. 12/2015

I acquired this movie because of Maggie Elizabeth Jones being a lead actress as she was in two other movies I loved: We Bought a Zoo and Away and Back. The plot of a young girl with an apparently loving daddy on an endless road trip seeing a missing child poster with what looks like herself, even down to the birthmark, intrigued me. What does a child think when she is abruptly confronted with what appears to be a new reality that her Dad may or may not be her real Dad, but a kidnapper? The script writer should be congratulated and the novelist Chris Fabry, author of June Bug (highly recommended) on which the movie is based should be congratulated for a touching cliffhanger.

The opening credits, as both of her previous movies, was brilliant with lovely views of her and her father sharing adventures in the western USA, but with a barely noticeable foreboding at the same time. From the opening credits onward there is not a moment where I wasn't on the edge of my chair wondering how the whole thing is going to work out.

Its strange that in the past few years girls have been playing different roles in American culture. The victim role is an old cliché by now. For awhile there were two other common roles for girls: horror and fantasy. I never liked the horror any better than the victim. Fantasy? I wish they'd make the Golden Compass series into a TV series. Girl heroes, love it. Lately girls are starring in Christian redemption movies. these can be icky but better than horror or victim, only if it isn't preaching into my face. Child of Grace, in spite of the title, gets by with a minimalist amount of victim-hood, horror and preaching.

Philosophically there are three things I object to. The first is depicting God as forgiving the most atrocious of behavior. I myself am not forgiving. The second is the complete lack of rights of the child to be anything but property by blood and excusing toxic behavior because it is the law. The third is treating men worse than dogs. Child of Grace deals with these issues. How successfully it does is up to the viewer in accordance with their ideology and belief.

An excellent movie. Ten stars.

I can't remember what brought me to this title. Probably, the "More like I'm addicted to them. I've found so many great movies (and duds as well) that way. Anyway, like other reviewers, I expected a 'Lifetime' style formula movie, but even from the description, I felt there might be something different. I'm so glad I watched it. Right from the beginning, it felt 'off' for the genre. I'm a fan of foreign and indie films that eschew the Hollywood formula and this fits right in there.

SPOILER: Just my imagination working overtime here, probably because I didn't like the ending. I imagine the grandparents and kidnapper/Dad/John end up with a shared custody situation and he is given full custody as the grandparents age and health deteriorates.

I was expecting the typical Lifetime flick when I came across this film. Boy was I wrong and quite pleasantly surprised. I actually enjoyed this film more than some of the higher budget, A list star cast films I've seen within the last few months.

It's obvious to me that a great deal of care went into this movie. The screenplay was well done, it was not at all predicable, the movie was well cast, the acting was solid and believable, particularly from the three leading actors, Ted Levine, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, and Tom Hildreth. Even the soundtrack was well chosen, not cheesy or distracting, just an appropriate accompaniment to the drama. The messages of the film are profound, yet subtle and gives you plenty to contemplate long after the movie is over.

It's encouraging to be reminded that quality movies don't have to rely on enormous budgets and a big star line up to be successful.

Well done.

I didn't expect much of this film, but wound up being very taken with the acting and the script.

A man and a child live a rootless life but are clearly very close to each other, but the viewer knows from the beginning that there is more to the story. An unexpected encounter with a missing child poster sets both of them on a life-changing journey. How the father and daughter deal with their fate and the changes that must come into their lives unfolds slowly, with few big moments, and yet with a sense of inevitability.

Tom Hildreth is excellent, portraying a complex character with many sides, but whose life has been changed by love. I predict a great acting future-- if she chooses it-- for Maggie Elizabeth Jones, whose acting was natural and affecting. Ted Levine, as usual, brings depth to a role that could have been very pro forma.

All in all, well worth watching.