Looking for Grace (2016)

Better Late Then Never

best movie i've ever seen.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

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.

So looking forward to this movie and really disappointed. Just doesn't work. Concluding dramatic event towards end of the film seems quite pointless and a bit "Home & Away" overdone. Where was 'James's' story? The acting was good but script woeful. Great camera and beautiful scenery. Why do we need to see countless long scenes of nothing in various country motel rooms??? Way too many pauses and silent moments to ponder ... not really much at all. The 'work relationship' was almost slapstick and didn't fit the mood of the film at all. After looking for Grace, they seem to bump into her terribly easy. Maybe someone should advise the police that they could Google where the concert was going to be held!

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.

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!