Child of Grace (2014) User Reviews

Pleasant Surprise

[acreativeforce · 8/10 · 1 September 2016]

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.

Thoughtful drama with unexpected turns

[michaela-5 · 7/10 · 19 March 2016]

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.

Much Better Than I Expected. I Loved It.

[MadDoctor61 · 8/10 · 17 October 2019]

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.

Didn't stick the landing

[PaxtonMalloy · 6/10 · 1 October 2019]

They almost got it right. Till almost the end it is emotional well told story beautifully shot with real a real nice score. The acting is alright, even though Thomas Hildreth let's just stay could have reached a little deeper. All well and good until you get a few lines of the mother about how only god can forgive you that send a terrible message. People can believe in whatever religion they want but this mother wanted to kill her child and watched while it happened then told nobody even when she was not a drug addict anymore until she got caught. If god forgives you is that is between you and your god. But it is also giving up your responsibility. You need to own up for what you did, confess to the police, endure your sentence and than people can at some point forgive you and most importantly only you can forgive yourself. This movie gets dragged down by the wrong message it sends which has nothing to do what religion is or should be.

A good film with absolutely brilliant actors, this is sadly a really unknown movie.

[nzswanny · 7/10 · 8 April 2017]

This film deserves a lot more publicity and praise than it has. A well paced, perfectly acted film that knows how to build up suspense and emotion, making it well worth your time and money. I wasn't expecting much starting the film, but I must say, this film has passed my small expectations and has crafted a really well-made film. Tom Hildreth, Maggie Elizabeth Jones and Ted Levine have all proved to be really good, underrated actors and I'm glad that they got to star in this film to show people their talent in acting. The acting was so good, that I think I'm going to watch out for the main casts future work.

The direction of this is superb. Ian McCrudden, a director I had never heard of until now, directed this film with talent, knowing what to do with his script and how to keep it stable. The film flows as one should, which is a very big achievement, because a lot of films sometimes lose that sort of smooth flow in films and feel a bit bumpy and jumpy on the way. Mr McCrudden knows how to capture the tone and theme of a film, and that is a very rare gift that cannot be made even by some of the greats, so I applaud him for that, and I cannot wait to watch some of his older work.

Now, these positive things I'm about to say are small things, but they are really important things to contribute to the experience of a film. This film has good sound and good camera quality, making the film feel non-low-budget. A lot of low-budget films have bad sound design and poor camera work, however this film , despite the small budget, triumphs and still succeeds in quality despite not being funded fifty million dollars. In fact, I'd say that the quality of this film's sound design and camera work is on par with modern blockbusters.

The music in this was a bit over-the-top (if you've read my other reviews, you'll know how much I hate this), however it didn't really bother me much in this film because of how well this film was handled. It ruined the experience a bit for sure, but barely, and I am actually a little surprised myself that I didn't despise the over-the-top music as much as I usually would of. So, there's a flaw and a pro.

The reason why I'm afraid I'll have to give this a 7/10 instead of an 8/10 is because of an unfortunate thing called cliché. There was a bit too much of that in this film, and because of those I felt myself occasionally twiddle my fingers in my seat. But otherwise, it's a good film that deserves a lot more publicity, and I give it a 7.2/10.

Emotional suspense and intricate storytelling

[RegaECG · 10/10 · 19 December 2014]

Watching a 9 year old steal the silver screen is amazing in itself but the detail that unfolds in the beautiful locations of Maine and Colorado truly captivated me. The story is raw at times and links the issues of teen pregnancy, drug abuse, parental definition, ethical/family ties, love, and duty. This is an excellent story told an acted passionately. I was torn between feeling contempt for the father figure for the deception that tears apart his young daughter, and the compassion for the grandparent (sheriff) desperately trying to solve the cold case of the tragic vanishing of his young grand daughter. Twists and turns drive the story along the emotional peaks and valleys that are acted beautifully. Bravo!

Ridiculously unrealistic

[madwand6 · 6/10 · 17 January 2022]

In any court un America, this guy would have been banned from ever having contact with the kid again, yet it turns out he's not even really her father and he'll be visiting soon? Typical Lifetime type drivel written by an airhead.

It puts the lotion in the basket!

minimalist amount of victim-hood and preaching.

[AmakoaAkana · 10/10 · 1 May 2016]

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.

Typical Lifetime Movie - not bad, but not great...

[LiveLoveLead · 5/10 · 14 December 2015]

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

Terrible! evil film! This sends an incredibly dangerous message.

[sarahk-88839 · 1/10 · 19 October 2016]

There are so many things wrong with this film it's hard to know where to begin. The weak acting, achingly slow pace, and mumbled voices of the lead male characters weren't even the worst of it.

I decided to watch this because of the reviews praising it...even claiming this had a subtle "Christian message". That was a complete lie. I would really like to know what on earth this supposedly 'Christian message' was supposed to be??

Yes the movie shows church and main characters attending it. Yes it mentions Jesus on the radio, and also talks about one of the characters "finding God". But the character that finds God is a complete fraud. She attends church, sings in the choir, puts on a show as a "reformed druggie" who has "found forgiveness" and is now living a good "Christian life", all while hiding the fact that she tried to kill her own child! Making her family and the world believe someone else was responsible. She only confessed once she was found out...and during her confession claimed her child was a "mistake" that (the grandfather confesses to supposedly already knowing) she never wanted.

The only responsible parent figure and attachment figure the child had in her life was ripped away by her supposedly "good and kind" grandfather. Neither grandparent (the other supposed "christians" in the movie) act like they have the slightest clue how to be around a child, a member of their own family, who has just been through one of the most traumatic experiences someone can go through. They come waltzing in to the hospital room after the child had just been through an examination to check that she hadn't been abused, and then acted like she should have known who they were! even laughing when she didn't remember them...it's insane.

There is NO Christian message in this film.