Joe Finds Grace (2017) User Reviews

Quirky and compelling story of loss and love!

[anicat68 · 9/10 · 2 February 2018]

A truly original film, funny and fascinating! It's like a graphic novel mashed up with a black-and-white silent film, Charlie Chaplin vibe, an experiment in visual storytelling.

Joseph's determined search for his Grace is both sweet and heartbreaking, a relatable situation of looking for something (or someone) lost we all have experience with. But the story is more than a straighforward drama of a quest, it's full of light notes: the humor in many of the scenes and situations the various cast of characters face kept me smiling all the way through! (Police officer) "What are you doing back there?" (Horst, in van, wearing handcuffs) "Exercising." Perfect line, timing and delivery! LOL!

I hope everyone will give "Joe Finds Grace" a look, and share this imaginative & artistic Expressionist-painting of a love story. Support indie film! :)

A unique gem of a film not to be missed.

[steven_stiller · 9/10 · 12 June 2022]

Joe finds Grace, is one of the those unique gems that can't be missed for anyone who loves independent cinema. Joe, a quiet and disfigured man, embarks on a journey of self discovery as he searches to find his sister.

While hitchhiking across the country he runs into an assortment of off beat and funny characters. Each one helping to shape who Joe will become.

The film is a throw back to old school filmmaking in the best of ways. Blending the bitter sweet yet poignant moments of a Charlie Chaplin film with the style and technique of 90s indie French films. It delves deep into the subject matter of love, loss and grief through this surreal tapestry brought to life by great performances, subtle directing and animation.

Though the film is quirky, off beat and at times completely out there, the overall themes and messages of how we deal with loss, love and our own short comings are something everyone can relate to and understand. Do not miss this one.

A charming and fun goofball adventure.

[paulieberney · 10/10 · 16 March 2021]

I love these strange little oddities in filmmaking. The kind of movies that don't follow rules, but still please a crowd. Joe Finds Grace is very odd and may not be to everyone's taste. But I really enjoyed it.

Joe, a disfigured quiet man, sets out on a road trip to find his young sister, Grace. He hitchhikes his way across America with many strange and funny characters, all the while being pursued by his career, Horst. Joe has problems communicating with people around him, but his long journey begins to help him grow as a man and teaches him to better deal with the people who surround him.

This is a very sweet movie that enjoys being completely bonkers. It takes heavy inspiration from the comedy style of 1920s silent cinema, playing almost like a Vaudville movie. In between the zany road scenes are lashings of a fun old-school soundtrack and a wild use of random color in a primarily black and white movie. The random appearing colors are used effectively to display the discomfort he experiences in the company of other people. It's really well handled, it never comes across as annoying or overused. The mood of the movie fits the editing, music and soundtrack very well. It's a nutty mix of antics and emotions mashed together in a sweet well made adventure.

Joe Finds Grace is short, lightly insane and a funny tribute to the old movies of the early 20th century. Well worth checking out.

Clever ethereal heart touching love story

[lea-1 · 10/10 · 24 August 2001]

Love being the driving force that sends Joseph on a quest to find and save Grace. Love being the driving force behind a lot of things people do that seem to make no sense to anyone else. Joseph would have travelled to the ends of the earth for his Grace. He never worried that his flaws would be a hindrance, without regard for himself, his only focus being on Grace and his quest to save her, all from a photo on a flyer. Crazy? perhaps, but isn't that what love is all about? Diving right in and doing anything it takes to be there with your beloved? Doing anything at all for them? Cinderella for the realist.

I loved this movie, it's clever, witty and has more than just a few sweet spots. A fine job of writing, the actors superb, the black and white filming makes this movie as timeless as any fairy tale and much more realistic too. Would be nice if a video release would come out, this is a great movie to add to one's collection.

Artistic Excellence

[repeat-02001 · 10/10 · 14 November 2022]

Every aspect of this film is so good. Going in with no expectations, the quality of production, writing, acting, editing, audio, basically everything, grabbed me immediately. As an editorial cartoonist, the tease of animation is what originally drew me to this film and didn't disappoint. Used amazingly well, with hard to accomplish appropriate sound effects, results in what many have tried to portray but never quite accomplish. Perhaps best described, as the flashbacks many of us are still waiting to manifest. The balance between classic comedic scenes and serious social issues made for an entertaining romp that left me wanting more.

An emotional tale told with nuance

[joelnewman-06975 · 10/10 · 8 June 2022]

Joe Finds Grace is a neat exploration of grief and regret. Diving into the nuance of how we are shaped as people via nature and nurture. It's also a quick witted Chaplin-esque comedy and yet somehow both of these tones rarely clash or feel out of place.

This is largely due to the acting which knows when to play into the film's more kooky aspects and even plays on classic slapstick tropes and equally when to allow titular character, Joe, to dwell on his loss and become sombre. With different acting and direction the more light hearted moments could have seemed out of place but it absolutely works here.

Moreover, there are some extended sequences that convey the story in animation and these are fantastic, perfectly revealing details of the plot as if we were also in the confused mind of Joe.

The only aspect where this picture falls short is through no fault of its own and is maybe a personal preference but some of the musical scores by Kevin MacLeod have been widely used on social media platforms such as YouTube which can rob some scenes of its natural cinematic quality but luckily this is more in the earlier scenes and doesn't effect the emotions latter half of the movie at all.

All in all, everything from the direction, writing and acting of the movie have all the makings of a classic.