Chasing Grace (Movie Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the dvd via Edify Media in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the movie-

A tragic accident threatens to destroy a pastor’s family and sets into motion a complex betrayal between two brothers, while exposing secrets no one wants to face.

Pastor Jonathan Matheson lives in a world of black and white, yet finds a way to navigate the “grey in-between” to work to his advantage, while facing one of the most tragic moments of his life. Set in small-town America and woven inside a tale of redemption, “Chasing Grace” is a story of how one family takes on the burden of guilt in order to make sense of their loss. While pointing the finger of blame at his brother, Pastor Jonathan also chooses to hide from the truth while trying to escape his own personal demons. “Chasing Grace” is loosely based upon true events and provides a powerful story about the redeeming power of forgiveness.

My thoughts-

Tragedies have a way of bringing out some pretty heavy emotions in the affected people, especially when it is unexpected and even more so when it involves a child. The Matheson family exemplifies this statement. They are all spiraling out of control in their own ways after the death of the youngest child (and only girl) in the house after a traumatic accident one of her brothers witnessed. It is a hard movie to watch. It starts with the funeral of the young Matheson daughter and then shows us in bits and pieces what really happened to her. It was really heavy stuff and at times it was hard to stay sympathetic to some of these characters, but in the end I think redemption and forgiveness are the main themes. There are some pretty difficult scenes and themes (a suicide attempt, alchoholism), but movies like this are a good way to broach these kinds of subjects with kids that might not have otherwise have come up organically during a conversation.  I would recommend this movie for adults and older kids and teenagers. 

http://chasinggracemovie.com/