Grace is Gone
(M) Roadshow DVD

This is a low-key but affecting piece of filmmaking that never resorts to the sentimentality it could have given its subject matter. Instead, its strong script and trio of excellent performances give the film a quiet and compelling resonance.

A patriot who has served in the army but been discharged, Stanley (John Cusack) is living an uneventful life while his wife Grace is serving in Iraq. When he learns of her death, he can’t bear to break the news to his two daughters (excellent performances by Gracie Bednarczyk and Shélan O’Keefe) and instead takes them out of school on a cross country road trip to an amusement park.

As he literally and metaphorically escapes the inevitable truth, he begins a relationship with his daughters that eventually leads to an emotional revelation and healing for the three of them.

As Stanley, Cusack’s performance is a complete departure from anything he has done and is excellent and his relationship with his daughters feels completely genuine.

This Sundance award winner includes some extras on Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, an organisation that helps families through the grief of lost service-people.

Adrian Drayton