In 19th-century Canada, a psychiatrist weighs whether a murderess should be pardoned due to insanity.
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S1.E2
Grace, forced out onto the streets of Toronto by her father to search for work, secures a position as a maid in the Parkinson household. She forms a friendship with another servant, the free-spirited...
S1.E5
Dr. Jordan brings Grace's account to the day of the murder. Although there are gaps in her memory, she describes how McDermott kills Nancy Henderson and dismembers her body, then shoots Kinnear, ...
S1.E4
Tensions rise at Richmond Hill, sparked by the surly and rebellious handyman McDermott. Grace realises that the housekeeper, Nancy Henderson, is the mistress of the charming but imperious Kinnear, ...
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Title: Alias Grace (2017)
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In 19th-century Canada, a psychiatrist weighs whether a murderess should be pardoned due to insanity.
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triple f rated | irish | based on novel | tv mini series | title directed by female |Parents Guide:
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Country:
CanadaLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
3 November 2017 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Alias Grace See more »Company Credits
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16:9 HD
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Executive producer / writer Sarah Polley first tried to acquire the rights to the novel Alias Grace when the book came out in 1996. It took Sarah Polley a little over 20 years to bring this miniseries to its fruition. See more »Goofs
When Grace is beside Mary's bed, just before the cemetery scene, the 'corpse' can be seen gently breathing (torso moving). See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Those who have read Margaret Atwood's amazing book, Alias Grace, already know of its layered and nuanced treatment of the story of convicted maidservant Grace Marks.
With that complexity in mind, the six-part mini-series had massive shoes to fill. The various editions of the landmark Canadian novel often exceed five hundred pages, making an on-screen adaptation that much more challenging.
Enter director Mary Harron from stage left. She, with fellow producers Sarah Polley and Margaret Atwood, has put together a drama that captures Victorian-era issues of femininity in a gripping and engaging story of passion, murder, and deceit.
The tale focuses on a retelling of the events leading up to the real-life murders of Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery just outside of Toronto. The imprisoned Marks is questioned, decades following her conviction, at the Kingston Penitentiary by ambitious psychoanalyst, Simon Jordan. The young doctor listens intently as she stitches together the events that preceded the dreadful killings of Kinnear and Montgomery. Grace, along with stable-hand James McDermott, was convicted of murder, but doubts surrounding Grace's guilt (and sanity) remain. As Dr. Jordan delves deeper into her psyche, he becomes more obsessed with what really happened. His efforts to determine her culpability persist, and truth and falsity become dizzying motifs in the story. What isn't said becomes as crucial as what is said and, as the narrative continues, certainty retreats into the shadows.
Sarah Gadon's casting as Grace Marks is, without question, marvelous. She manages to simultaneously convey purity and malevolence with a single glance, and the dynamic between she and Dr. Jordan is laden with wonderful tension. Supporting characters are all played capably (though notable renderings from Paul Gross and Anna Paquin emerge), but their solid performances are continuously, albeit unintentionally, overshadowed by Gadon's understated portrayal of Atwood's complex protagonist.
Whether or not you've read Alias Grace is of little consequence. It's a fantastic book, but the mini-series can be thoroughly enjoyed regardless.
Margaret Atwood's involvement in production clearly enhanced this magnificent mini-series. By the end, viewers are left to question fact, fiction, and everything in between.