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
10 Reviews
Disappointing - too lazy but some nice moments.
conan-230 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This has divided our household. I was disappointed while my partner thought it was another Japanese Story (same writer/director).
The movie is broken into different perspectives (chapters based on differing characters)
The first part of the story (Grace's story) felt very teen angst. Girls on a bus running away. It ends with a penniless girl trying to walk the Nullabor. It made no sense. We do not know why the ran away or get anything from this action.
The bulk of the movie is of other characters' stories. They overlap but better storytellers use the later stories to enhance what you have just seen. This is only lightly done. Some of the scenes are quite funny, and this should have been the heart of the movie. A little like "The Road to Nhill".
The final act the writer falls back to Japanese Story and throws a huge curve ball. Once is interesting, Toni Collette acted the crap out of JS, but to me, it was a cheap letdown to do the same concept twice.
The acting was competent based on what they were given. Terry Norris is a star. The non-teen stars did excellent comedic turns even in the face of their child running away to who knows where. She may have been kidnapped and the tone is light. So when you are expected to get to the change, it does not feel right.
The outback, anyone watching Australian movies sees more outback in the cinema they could care to see. In this case, the DP could have used warmer tones, wider shots. Just look at Ivan Sen's Goldstone. If you are going to use it. don't be lazy.
The movie is broken into different perspectives (chapters based on differing characters)
The first part of the story (Grace's story) felt very teen angst. Girls on a bus running away. It ends with a penniless girl trying to walk the Nullabor. It made no sense. We do not know why the ran away or get anything from this action.
The bulk of the movie is of other characters' stories. They overlap but better storytellers use the later stories to enhance what you have just seen. This is only lightly done. Some of the scenes are quite funny, and this should have been the heart of the movie. A little like "The Road to Nhill".
The final act the writer falls back to Japanese Story and throws a huge curve ball. Once is interesting, Toni Collette acted the crap out of JS, but to me, it was a cheap letdown to do the same concept twice.
The acting was competent based on what they were given. Terry Norris is a star. The non-teen stars did excellent comedic turns even in the face of their child running away to who knows where. She may have been kidnapped and the tone is light. So when you are expected to get to the change, it does not feel right.
The outback, anyone watching Australian movies sees more outback in the cinema they could care to see. In this case, the DP could have used warmer tones, wider shots. Just look at Ivan Sen's Goldstone. If you are going to use it. don't be lazy.
Well photographed but pretty pointless
david-rector-850924 September 2016
Another disappointment for me, from the local film industry for 2016. After an awe-inspiring 2015, I guess the next year could never live up to it, but so far there doesn't seem to have been either a runaway hit nor an impressive Australian movie to cheer for. 'Looking For Grace' is sadly looking for a purpose, as it seems to be very caught up in its conceit, but not really making any great insights or character development during its healthy 100 minute duration.
I've enjoyed some of Sue Brooks' earlier work; especially 'Road to Nihill' but this one just fell flat and felt overdone and without credulity. Why Radha Mitchell's lead character was allowed to cultivate such an over the top accent; escapes me. It made her seem a caricature and the serious storyline reduced to whimsy or light comedy. Lkewise thespian for many decades,Richard Roxburgh was painfully broad and faux comedic, where a more grounded and considered performance would have worked so much better. As with 'The Daughter' (another disappointing and forced dramatic work), Odessa Young really saves this movie too. With a naturalistic style and interesting presence, the actress really gives 'Looking for Grace' its saving grace, as the protagonist to this very choppy and muddy narrative. At the other end of the age spectrum, veteran Terry Norris brings real warmth and character to the film; but again the plot inserts him but doesn't really explain how he is there and how he is able to help the main characters. Ultimately, the plot and the film really don't hang together, and combined with some woeful over- acting, it is hard to get too excited about this movie.
Per capita, Australia must have more skilled cinematographers than any country in the world, and 'Looking for Grace' thankfully has a terrific eye in Katie Milwright who gives the film a terrific sense of place and scope. I only wish that the screenplay had provided everybody something more coherent and meaningful to work with.
I've enjoyed some of Sue Brooks' earlier work; especially 'Road to Nihill' but this one just fell flat and felt overdone and without credulity. Why Radha Mitchell's lead character was allowed to cultivate such an over the top accent; escapes me. It made her seem a caricature and the serious storyline reduced to whimsy or light comedy. Lkewise thespian for many decades,Richard Roxburgh was painfully broad and faux comedic, where a more grounded and considered performance would have worked so much better. As with 'The Daughter' (another disappointing and forced dramatic work), Odessa Young really saves this movie too. With a naturalistic style and interesting presence, the actress really gives 'Looking for Grace' its saving grace, as the protagonist to this very choppy and muddy narrative. At the other end of the age spectrum, veteran Terry Norris brings real warmth and character to the film; but again the plot inserts him but doesn't really explain how he is there and how he is able to help the main characters. Ultimately, the plot and the film really don't hang together, and combined with some woeful over- acting, it is hard to get too excited about this movie.
Per capita, Australia must have more skilled cinematographers than any country in the world, and 'Looking for Grace' thankfully has a terrific eye in Katie Milwright who gives the film a terrific sense of place and scope. I only wish that the screenplay had provided everybody something more coherent and meaningful to work with.
Dire
fables195923 April 2016
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.
Plodding direction and weak script
paule-8117723 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
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.
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.
Looking for Grace ... don't bother
peterjday14 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
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!
Minor reservations aside, this is an engaging tale told in the finest Aussie tradition.
CineMuseFilms10 February 2016
One of the classic tropes of Australian film is the random and ever-present potential for destruction that is represented cinematically by the vastness and untamed beauty of our unique landscapes. It is sometimes shown, for example, as mystical power (eg: Picnic at Hanging Rock), dystopian violence (The Rover), terror (Wolf Creek), images of deadly bushfires or road-kill scattered over lonely country roads. Looking for Grace builds on this tradition and explores random destruction in a novel way by taking a simple plot line and splitting into separate narratives that converge with deadly force.
Five stories unfold in parallel as sign-posted chapters, each telling the same story but from a different viewpoint. The narrative arc turns on rebellious 16 year-old Grace who empties her father's safe and hops on a coach for a heavy metal concert a few days from home. While chance plays a part, meeting a boy, losing her virginity, and being robbed is a predictable tale for many run-aways. What is not predictable is how the four other stories overlap hers. The unfaithful father seems more concerned about the cash than his daughter and the over-controlling mother is pathetically funny keeping up appearances in the midst of a missing person investigation. The doddery old private detective hired to find Grace (and the money) worries about the whiteness of his false teeth and says the most obvious things in funny ways. And there is the seemingly disconnected story about the road-train driver who bookends the film and ties five random tales into a single Aussie yarn.
The cinematography is superb and it carries the film. From lovingly long panoramic landscapes, to backlit gum trees, golden sunrises, the sharp detail of a furtive glance in shallow depth of field, the camera-work is beautifully crafted and quintessentially Australian. Acting is excellent although based more on good casting than fine performance – there is little room for character development in a film cut five ways. It is also deliberately slow in parts; rather than looking like parents in crisis we see dad's clumsy preoccupation with his own guilt, mum's growing anxiety about her marriage and looking good in gym wear, and Grace just takes her time like any teenager. Minor reservations aside, this is an engaging tale told in the finest Aussie tradition.
Five stories unfold in parallel as sign-posted chapters, each telling the same story but from a different viewpoint. The narrative arc turns on rebellious 16 year-old Grace who empties her father's safe and hops on a coach for a heavy metal concert a few days from home. While chance plays a part, meeting a boy, losing her virginity, and being robbed is a predictable tale for many run-aways. What is not predictable is how the four other stories overlap hers. The unfaithful father seems more concerned about the cash than his daughter and the over-controlling mother is pathetically funny keeping up appearances in the midst of a missing person investigation. The doddery old private detective hired to find Grace (and the money) worries about the whiteness of his false teeth and says the most obvious things in funny ways. And there is the seemingly disconnected story about the road-train driver who bookends the film and ties five random tales into a single Aussie yarn.
The cinematography is superb and it carries the film. From lovingly long panoramic landscapes, to backlit gum trees, golden sunrises, the sharp detail of a furtive glance in shallow depth of field, the camera-work is beautifully crafted and quintessentially Australian. Acting is excellent although based more on good casting than fine performance – there is little room for character development in a film cut five ways. It is also deliberately slow in parts; rather than looking like parents in crisis we see dad's clumsy preoccupation with his own guilt, mum's growing anxiety about her marriage and looking good in gym wear, and Grace just takes her time like any teenager. Minor reservations aside, this is an engaging tale told in the finest Aussie tradition.
Pared back, enigmatic, a drama from the participants perspective.
bobbsaunders22 February 2019
This movie very, very slowly draws you in, beguiling you with all the trivial little details of the characters life, while building a family dynamic that eventually hits you over the head with brutal force. This is highly skilled, visionary, storytelling. The direction is steely strong, while delivering a wistful atmosphere. All performances are strong with Odessa Young a stand out in the prime role and of course the other key actor ( the australian outback) setting an overwhelming tone. This is a movie for the patient viewer, a viewer who is prepared to submit to the vision of the director and then eventually be rewarded with an unexpected tragic conclusion.
A bold and insightful film both clever and thought provoking.
wen-792759 December 2015
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-461719 December 2015
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.
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