States of Grace (2005)

Director:

Richard Dutcher

Writer:

Richard Dutcher (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Beyond faith, beyond reason, beyond experience.

Plot:

The lives of a street preacher, an aspiring actress, a Mormon missionary, and a young gang banger intersect in this ensemble drama set in present-day Santa Monica, California.

Plot Keywords:

Missionary | Aspiring Actress | Gang Banger | Redemption | Street Preacher

Cast

Ignacio Serricchio	...	Lozano
Lucas Fleischer	...	Farrell
Lamont Stephens	...	Carl
Rachel Emmers	...	Holly
Jo-sei Ikeda	...	Louis
J.J. Boone	...	Mae
Allah Chatman	...	Todd
Desean Terry	...	Banks
Jeffrey Scott Kelly	...	Mangum
John Pentecost	...	President Beecroft
Pete Jackson	...	Downy
Rege Lewis	...	Jordan
Danny Martinez	...	Manuel
Makelaie	...	Abe (as Fatal Instinct)
Samantha Klein	...	Sister Hershey

Also Known As:

God's Army 2: States of Grace (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence and mature thematic material.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Santa Monica, California, USA

Company:

Zion Films

Trivia:

When Louis starts preaching on the beach from the Book of Mormon he selects Mosiah 4:18-19 which are verses from an address by King Benjamin concerning giving of food and other substance to the poor. These are very appropriate considering his own lack of substance.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Lozano: [the elders are playing basketball on "P" day. Speaking to Elder Farrell] Come on. Get in here man, we're getting our butts kicked.
[Elder Farrell shakes his head negatively]
Elder Mangum: Come on Farrell, we're one man short.
Sister Savea: I'll do it.
Elder Mangum: I said, we're one MAN short.
Sister Savea: You're one short man, that's what you are.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Singles 2nd Ward (2007)

Powerfully Moving - Christ-Centered

Just got back from "States of Grace." Truly an amazing film. It was not what I expected. Much less "Mormon" than "God's Army" in some ways. I was moved. Dutcher, in a way that reminded me of the evocative Sacrament scene in "Brigham City," ended this film with a very moving, personal experience shared by all the main characters in the film, which ingeniously had a powerful-yet-different meaning for each of them.

I was surprised at how long it was - just over 2 hours. If you're going to see a feel-good fluffy movie, this is not the one. It is PG-13 for good reason. Very faith promoting, but not "sweet." It is difficult to evaluate such a film for technical aspects; there were too many overwhelming moments in the film that skilfully drew me in.

One last observation: the film is excellently Christ-centered. Dutcher beautifully weaves a coherent fabric of the love of Jesus for all people out of disparate strands. At times I almost didn't want to see how a scene would end, because of the heaviness, but in the end it was all worth it. Mixing typical Mormon symbols and sentiments and typical Christian symbols and sentiments, the feel at the end ameliorates much of the pain displayed in the movie, and demonstrates how hope can prevail.