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Saving Grace

Costa BOTES

New Zealand1997 90mimmin 35mm color

Synopsis

Grace, a homeless 18-year-old girl, who is unable to recover from the suicide of her mother and the trauma and sense of guilt the incident resulted in her.  She hates herself deeply and is very self-destructive.  She accidentally gets to know Gerald, an old unemployed carpenter, and while living at his apartment, gradually opens her heart.  Then one day, Gerald tells her that he is Jesus Christ.
Having a self-claimed Jesus does not make this film religious or anti-religious.  A better approach would be seeing this movie as a story of two lonely souls who find sympathy and love in each other.
Director Costa Botes, who co-directed "Forgotten Silver" with Peter Jackson, assigned the screenplay to Duncan Sarkies who did the original scenario, and tried to give more focus on the dialogue and actions rather than the visual.  The two key characters are acted by native New Zealanders Kirsty Hamilton and Jim Moriarty and it is impressive to see the ensemble of Hamilton's powerful yet sensitive actions and Moriarty's unrefined yet warm actions.  This movie has a  general tone of seriousness and tragedy but it never fails to keep the occasional humor.
P.S.: From the beginning to the end of the movie, the spectators would wrestle with one question: Will the carpenter turn out as a real Jesus?  They will find the answer at long last.

Diretor

Costa BOTES

Born in Imbroz, isolated island in Turkey, 1958. He immigrated to NEW Zealand at the age of 3. He came to make a short films at the ageof 22. Forgotten Silver, co-directing with Peter Jackson, won the Critics Prize at Venice in 1996. Saving Grace is his first feature film.