KO Film Review of There By Grace

A couple nights ago, Director, Producer, and Co-Writer, Vern Wutzke,  of the Independent Calgary Feature Film There by Grace, was kind enough to share his film with me and answer my questions as well as endure my comments on his film. The film is Based on a true story. The origin of the films story was from the play Urban Realityby Dave Trimble (who plays Jimmy, the sleazy drug dealer in the film).  Trimble, Leda Davies and Wutzke wrote the screenplay together based on Trimble’s Fringe Festival play. There By Graceis a socially conscious film that brings to light the circle of domestic abuse, drug use to numb out the pain of the past and prostitution to support addiction. The main character, Sandy, played by Davies, reality flashes back to her tumultuous childhood, exposing her tangled journey. Running from her sexually abusive alcoholic father, Sandy stumbles into one tragic situation after another.

This was the first of Wutzke’s films that I have had the chance to see. I am always excited when I find out someone local is working on a project which involves more local talent. There By Grace is very story driven, and borrows much from the genre of Italian Neo-Realism in that most of the film was shot on location where this story could have actually occurred, the films uses almost all natural light for the interior and exterior sets. The film deals with social themes and has a naturally grim outcome. Also like Italian Neo-Realism, the film was low budget and feature actors who are local and not overly exposed in the industry yet. Moving away from Italian Neo-realism into a rather Canadian new wave cinema, there were some more expressive, almost Farrelly Brother-esque moments in the film. The use of the soundtrack by the very talented Blues musician Darren Johnson which was featured prominently at the beginning in the end, but also throughout parts of the film. Johnson’s lyrics become narrative, lending to the disheartening mood in the film, and is expressively accentuated by black and white hues in the scenes he and his music are featured in.

There By Grace made me reminiscent of a 1995 made for t.v. feature length film called Little Criminals (Stephen Surjik, 1995) which was about a troubled eleven year old boy who falls by the wayside of the adolecences justice system in Canada. Although these films were made a decade apart, the story of children who grow up in troubled homes and are struggling to “make it” on their own, seems to end up the same way. Both films were shot on video, and carry the same social message, which is… if children grow up in a abusive/drug enduced parented/ toxic environments they end up struggling to survive in our (Canadian) society. The social commentary these films exude are very heavy, and you don’t get up after the film skipping and whistling with a smile on your face, that’s for sure. But these horrible domestic situations exist and are part of our society, and I strongly believe that the more exposure and discussion they create, the better the chances for these children to seek assistance instead of running, hiding, and using drugs to escape their bleak reality.

There By Grace is planned to screen at the Uptown Stage & Screen on Sunday September 18, 2011