Review of States of Grace (2014) by Jason R — 26 Jan 2015

States of Grace is a wonderful documentary film about physician-turned-patient Grace Dammann. After being hit by another driver head on on the Golden Gate Bridge, Grace's friends and families didn't know if she would survive. The film plunges viewers into the chaos and uncertainty surrounding the decisions Grace's family and friends had to make during this roller-coaster ride of a recovery.

The filmmakers artfully weave together components of Grace's past and future as we slowly learn about her pioneering medical work caring for AIDS patients in San Francisco when the disease was still largely a death sentence; to her relationship with her partner Fu, a Buddhist monk, and their adopted daughter, Sabrina, who was born with cerebral palsy; to her determination to walk again following the accident that left her mind intact but her body disabled.

Grace is a remarkable subject--resilient, wise, compassionate and self-aware--and Fu and Sabrina are equally compelling characters in their own right. The challenges and victories each of them face as they navigate their new reality together makes for a deeply compassionate film that will leave you feeling grateful for the beauty and fragility of life. See this film on the big screen when it comes to your city! And take anyone who matters to you along for the ride so you can tell them face to face how happy you are to have them in your life when the credits roll.