GRACELAND — The Review

Drafthouse Films does it again, scouring, quite literally, the entire planet for the very best films otherwise virtually unseen by the majority of film goers. In an ongoing effort to bring powerful, hard-hitting films closer to the forefront, GRACELAND caught the attention of savvy film enthusiasts and now has the opportunity to spread its wings amidst a larger audience. Will you be one amidst those many?

GRACELAND tells the story of a working class father, and honest and good young man named Marlon Villar, played by Arnold Reyes. Set in the Philippines, Marlon finds his world thrown into chaos when a kidnapping goes terribly wrong and he finds himself fighting for his daughter’s life. Torn between his love for his own family and the demand placed upon him by his employer, Marlon must juggle a dangerous balance between doing what’s right and doing what he must.

Written and directed by Ron Morales, a filmmaker of respectable technical talent, GRACELAND marks only his second feature film as a director. Having earned his industry chops working on more mainstream Hollywood fare, from SPIDER-MAN 3 to NICK & NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST, its clear that his wide exposure to various styles and genres has allowed him to find his own much more pure artistic vision.

Marlon encounters elements all too familiar, from corruption to class segregation, all of which play into the overall arc of the film that proves not to be a sum greater than its parts, but an experience of which the parts and the sum are of equally high value. GRACELAND catches us off guard, nudging us off the curb into the filthy gutter, drags us through Marlon’s agonizing ordeal, and then just when we thing Morales is going to lift us up out of our shallow grave, instead he throws a few more shovels of dirt on our heads. Why? Because the truth is, real life is rarely about perfect happy endings. Real life is twisted, bent and jaded.

Forget about the flashy, high-action kidnapping films like TAKEN that are short on plot. GRACELAND never sacrifices its heart for a quick and easy adrenaline fix. On second thought, let me retract that statement. Instead, let me say that GRACELAND relies on masterful storytelling and a potent story with more resonant real-world issues to slowly fill the viewers veins with an adrenalized rush. As a suspenseful tale of a man desperate to save his daughter, GRACELAND matches the bar. As an emotional, intelligent case study of life in a world few of us will ever dream of actually stepping foot into, this film will knock you on your ass.

Morales maintains a close and personal vantage point, often uncomfortably so, never allowing the viewer to pull away and remind themselves “hey, this is only a movie.” Even in the films’ opening moments, Morales already has us hating a key character, while empathizing with Marlon and the nauseatingly disgusting situation he is in and must face on what seems a daily basis just to make ends meet. Its this dichotomy of Marlon’s restrained morals and the requirements of his job that give us hope that he will somehow find a way out of this mess.

GRACELAND co-stars Menggie Cobarrubias as the corrupt Congressman Changho and Dido De La Paz as the corrupt detective Ramos. Both men have their flaws, but at varying degrees and with subtly contradicting lines in the sand. Changho represents the “upper class” of the Philippines, fitting as his role takes something of a backseat to that of the detectives, who serves as a sort of intermediary between the very small upper class and the vast lower class. GRACELAND is a gritty, dirty looking film yet also manages to capture a certain untarnished beauty in the way the world looks around Marlon. Morales portrays things as they are, for better or for worse. At times, it even seems perhaps that shots may not have been authorized, perhaps even captured at great risk to the filmmakers themselves. All of this adds to the tension, builds layers upon layers onto the texture of the film. This allows the viewer to get a little dirty. We need to feel some of that to fully appreciate the cinematic environment in which the story is told.

In the end, no one character is quite what they seemed in the beginning. In the end, GRACELAND has us playing everything back in our minds, looking for explanations and justifications. In the end, the truth is that a father will do whatever he must to protect his family and damn anyone that wants to tell him what’s right and wrong in the eyes of those who haven’t walked in his shoes. However, in the end, all actions also have their consequences. GRACELAND is available on VOD/iTunes now and opens in theaters on Friday, April 26, 2013. Be sure to visit the official GRACELAND website for more information and to find a screening near you.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars