Looking for Grace (2015) Reviews

• An over enthusiastically confusing film

  rmsccbm2015-11-27

  As I sat there at the Melbourne premier of Looking for Grace, I sat in confusion for the first 25 minutes as I struggled to see what kind of movie was being played out. The film did gradually slow into a good pace, but the first 25-35 minutes were unbearable. The camera-work and visual aspects of the film were all very well done, mostly due to the location of Western Australia. The interweaving stories worked well however there wasn't much detail or substance to much of it, to make it more easy to follow. But in some parts it was hard to say that it wasn't a missed opportunity. The acting wasn't great, especially for serious scenes, this very much so affected the tone as a serious scene was set up but came across as comedic. Odessa Young was passable. Her performance didn't excel in any scene and for a film with her name making up half the title, you expect that. To conclude, the film did get the story on track with the help of a very surprising moment near the end which was very well set up. But other than that, it came across as dull and confusing. 5/10

• Plodding direction and weak script

  paule-811772016-01-23

  About 25 minutes into the film, my wife leaned over to me and whispered, "Are we in the right cinema?". I was wondering the same thing myself. What we were seeing was not what we were expecting, based on the publicity materials. Was this trying to be an art-house film? Is this the depths to which Australian cinema has descended? The pace of the movie was slow, with quite unimaginative direction. The idea of slicing a story so that it is seen from various perspectives is not new, and has been executed far better in other movies. But if you are going to do that you need to make sure that the sequences are directed in a snappy fashion. The script was also weak. There were some areas that were clearly under-developed; some areas that went on far too long and were in need of some decent script editing; some parts that were really not required at all (what did Bruce's story add?); and other ideas (such as the "Rosemary's driving" running gag) that simply fell flat. A couple of the scenes with Norris and Roxburgh had spark, but we are talking two experienced actors here. I assume that some pruning had already taken place, as there were some threads mentioned earlier in the film that were not followed through at all. In summary, this came across as a good idea for a short film (for a final year student). How on earth anyone was convinced to green light this as a fully fledged feature speaks well of the persuasive powers of those involved.

• A bold and insightful film both clever and thought provoking.

  wen-792752015-12-09

  Sue Brooks films are always refreshing, stylish, and unmistakably Australian. Looking for Grace does justice to Brooks fine understanding of the complexities of the human condition and the struggles and subsequent lessons encountered within family life. This is a bold and insightful film, paced in Brooks unique style. I found this film immensely satisfying despite the fact that the interweaving of the characters personal stories confused me a little at times this technique did not detract from the films overall intrigue. The all Australian cast was well chosen and the cinematography captured the desolate emptiness of the desert landscape and added strength to the metaphor of distance within this small family's relationships. This is a great film!

• Quintessential Brooks Storytelling

  angie-461712015-12-09

  Being a fan of previous works from Sue Brooks and Alison Tilson I attended the Melbourne premiere of Looking For Grace with a solid expectation of enjoying their uniquely real approach to story telling. I was not disappointed. The film skillfully took me on a journey to explore the wonderful Western Australian landscape and unravel each characters story...their whereabouts,actions and emotions leading up to and during the time of Grace's disappearance. I was challenged to fit each of these life stories together - a bit like a jigsaw puzzle - but they all fitted perfectly - in the end. I really enjoyed this unfolding real life drama with great acting, laughs and very painful surprises.

• Dire

  fables19592016-04-23

  My wife and I endured an hour of "Looking for Grace" before we both conceded that life is too short to waste on crap like this and walked out of the cinema. The acting was tedious, the pacing horrendous, the script a dogs breakfast and it was just a painful experience. The timing of the actors was shocking, it was like watching the early rehearsals of a poorly directed stage play, I think the director was on sleeping tablets at the time of the directing! Australian movies have enough trouble drawing big audiences which is wrong,our movies are up there with the best in the world, this dud however is not in that category and will certainly not attract too many "bums" on seats.