Review Rating: 8
Drink in the Spoilers!
After losing her husband in a devastating car crash, a pregnant woman decides to deliver her dead child, and finds that the miracle of the childs’ new life comes with a heavy price.
This is an incredibly sick and original movie, and certainly not for everyone. That said, I enjoyed the heck out of it – there are far too many standard horror movies these days, and Grace is so far removed from standard it may as well be in another universe. Yes, the pace of the movie is a bit fit-&-start-stop, but I thought that gave clearer evidence to the impending madness of the mother, Kate.
I think the true terror comes from the reality of the movie itself, how easily one could find themselves in the exact same situation and doing, well, the exact same thing Kate did. Imagine, how much Kate wanted a child. Then, to lose her husband and come very close to losing that same child in a horrible car crash. (Which, the movie seemed to imply, was no accident.) Then, amidst the unraveling mother-in-law who wants to take your child for herself, what I’m betting was severe post-partum depression and well, finding out that your child has to have blood in order to live; would drive anyone mad. But think, how far would you go to see your only child live? Wherein divides the line between love and death? Remember folks, there is little on this earth more terrifying than a parent afraid for their child, and a mother doubly so. If your child needed something you had – a kidney, your heart, bone marrow – that would likely kill you to give it to them, most people would do it. And Grace takes that kind of awful love to a truly wonderful and terrifying degree.
Jordan Ladd stars as Kate Matheson, and boy does she own that role – the desperation, the madness, and fierce determination of Kate comes across in a way we can all empathize with. Samantha Ferris stars as Patricia Lang, lovely midwife and I would swear former lesbian lover of Kate (they sure implied that). And noone can forget Gabrielle Rose, who takes on the challenging role of Vivian Matheson, meddling grandmother who seems to just totally lose it when her son dies!
Take one totally plausible plot, give it a horrific twist, and glue me to that screen!