States of Grace (2005)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

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
Makelai Brown	...	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)

Splendid

I cried through the whole thing, it was so moving and affecting. I have not a big fan of Mormon Cinema thus far, as most of it is very idealized, filled with in-jokes, and generally just very "in your face". But this film is so real, so accessible, and so professionally done that I could not help being completely knocked out by it.

The performances are much better than I have seen in previous Mormon films. Particularly those of Ignacio Serricchio and Lamont Stephens, who are simply spectacular as the gang-kid-turned-missionary and the gang-kid-turned-convert, respectively.

I loved the fact that this movie is about faith and belief, but not specifically about the Mormon faith. The two main characters are Mormons, but the stories are about real life situations and the way people behave in them, not about how Mormons are "supposed" to behave.

I would recommend this film to any and all. I will certainly be buying it when it comes to DVD.