Full of Grace

Although solemn (sometimes to the point of tonal monotony), Full of Grace serves up an interesting and moving story about a critical moment in the early Christian church, centering on the role that Jesus's mother played in reminding the apostles of her son's legacy. A decade following the death and resurrection of Christ, Mary (Bahia Haifi) spends her final days resting and recalling the pivotal event in her life, when she was called upon to bear God's only son. While she is being looked after by the young Zara (Kelsey Chow), the apostle Peter (Noam Jenkins) comes calling, burdened by the responsibility of salvaging and unifying the fledgling church in the face of rival Christian sects. Many of these factions, Peter reports, are like loose cannons, sans legitimacy and even incorporating pagan practices. Yet Peter is unsure of direction: having spent years traveling and ministering while under constant peril, he is ambivalent about what to do. Mary helps him and the other apostles remember how their lives were changed through knowing Christ, and how her own life was defined by her son's mission, gruesome sacrifice, and conquering of death. Haifi and Jenkins both deliver powerful, emotionally rich performances in this faith-based character study by writer-director Andrew Hyatt. Recommended. (T. Keogh)