Though 2007 saw a flood of Iraq-related films, GRACE IS GONE takes a different approach from many of the others. Unlike REDACTED and LIONS FOR LAMBS, this directorial debut from screenwriter James C. Strouse (LONESOME JIM) doesn't focus on the conflict itself. Instead, the drama looks at how the death of a female soldier affects her family at home. John Cusack (1408) is Stanley Phillips, a husband and father who waits while his wife Grace is off serving in Iraq. When he learns of her death, he can't bear to tell his two daughters the news. To postpone the inevitable, the normally staid father proposes a spontaneous road trip to his girls, and the three set off for the fun of an amusement park called Enchanted Gardens.

GRACE IS GONE picked up a pair of awards at Sundance: the Audience Award and Best Screenplay. It's a deeply affecting drama that never resorts to manipulation in achieving its aims. Instead, it relies on the strong script from Strouse, as well as a trio of fantastic performances. As Stanley and Grace's young daughters, Gracie Bednarczyk and Shélan O'Keefe make memorable film debuts. Their relationships with both each other and their cinematic father feel completely genuine. As for Cusack, he trades in the swagger of Lloyd Dobler and Rob Gordon for Stanley Phillips's shuffle. The role is a complete departure for the veteran actor, and the change is a welcome one that should win him both critical praise and awards. The film's tone is sweet and sad, though never overwhelmingly so, and it's helped by excellent cinematography from Jean-Louis Bompoint and a quietly moving score from Clint Eastwood.

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital Stereo - English

Distributor Notes: In one of his most acclaimed performances, John Cusack makes an astonishing transformation as Stanley Philips, a sad, disconnected man unable to tell his young daughters their mother, a soldier, has died in Iraq. Instead, he takes the girls on a road trip, where their innocent charm helps him rediscover a healing joy he thought he'd lost forever.

Source: Genius Productions

John Cusack: American actor, SAY ANYTHING/GROSSE POINTE BLANK
Alessandro Nivola: 
Gracie Bednarczyk: Actress, GRACE IS GONE
Shélan O'Keefe: Actress, GRACE IS GONE
Mary Kay Place: American actress, MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN

James C. Strouse: Director-screenwriter, GRACE IS GONE

John Cusack: American actor, SAY ANYTHING/GROSSE POINTE BLANK
Grace Loh: Producer, GRACE IS GONE
Galt Niederhoffer: Producer, WATCHING THE DETECTIVES, (2007)
Celine Rattray: 
Daniela Taplin Lundberg: Producer, DEDICATION

James C. Strouse: Director-screenwriter, GRACE IS GONE

Clint Eastwood: American actor/director, THE GOOD, THE BAD.../UNFORGIVEN

3 stars out of 4 -- "[The film has] the quiet power to sneak up and floor you..."
"[A] small, tender film about contemporary parenthood in wartime....[The film] evokes the daily lives of a father and his two children in perfect, unassuming performances with a close attention to detail that makes you feel like a fifth member of the family."
3 stars out of 4 -- "GRACE IS GONE is as subtle and shattering as its title....A powerful and haunting meditation on loss and grief, it also makes a case against the war in Iraq."
"[A]n emotionally rich and satisfying drama featuring a terrifically understated performance from John Cusack."
"[A] moving drama....[The performances] are uniformly great, particularly the understated Cusack and the grave Shelan O'Keefe..." -- Grade: B