REVIEW: "States of Grace"

When I was a kid Lucky Charms was one of my favorite breakfast cereals. Like most kids, I suppose, I was chiefly interested in the colorful marshmallows and put up with the plainer pieces of cereal in order to get to the more enjoyable "charms."
This is largely how I felt about Richard Dutcher's "States of Grace." The film contained "charms" of its own but I felt like I had to wait through a bit of "filler" in order to reach them. This, however, did not make them any less enjoyable but the film as a whole seemed to lack unity or much of a through line. Its emotional power was too frequently lost in the incidental scenes that at times seemed more of a chore than a pleasure to get through.
Clearly this is not a perfect film. Dutcher seems to lack a cohesive, consistent, visual style, a reality attested to by this and his other film pursuits. His writing seems to bounce between sentimentality and edginess and at times feels directionless. Those on screen at times tend to feel more like stock characters than anything else. And several of the scenes in this film were almost painfully long.
It seems almost as if Dutcher spent most of his time and energy on the last thirty minutes of the film and threw together some material to lead up to his emotional climax. I was captivated by Elder Farrell's tragic fall, by Carl's ethical struggle, by the powerful message of Christ's mercy that Holly shared in the hospital. The scene in which Carl revisits the site of his baptism was both visually stunning and emotionally effecting and I very much appreciated the "tearjerker" ending. Yes, Dutcher tends to push buttons but I admire the courage it takes for him to examine such difficult issues.
Church members will (understandably) be bothered by the obvious oversights of both missionaries and their president, but the examination of what is right vs. what is obedient is compelling. The issues explored are difficult to deal with but the overarching message of the grace of God and the enabling power thereof redeems these characters from the (pretty stupid) mistakes they make. All in all, I appreciate the gesture Dutcher made in writing and directing "States of Grace" than I did the film itself. Mormon cinema needs to not shy away from questions without answers and subject matter that makes us squirm in our seats. Richard Dutcher taught us this.