Concerning Amish Grace

Angry with God over the death of his baby girl, Charlie Roberts (John Churchill) decides to go shoot some other little girls. He targets a school in the Amish community where he serves as the milkman. In the wake of his terrible murders and suicide, the Amish people reach out to his widow Amy (Tammy Blanchard) with their forgiveness and sympathy. But Ida Graber (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) is one mother who is not ready to forgive. Her hatred for Charlie runs too deep to be uprooted lightly - she won't betray her daughter by forgiving the man who killed her in cold blood.

Pros: Obviously, this movie is about forgiveness. As such, it's a great movie. There's one scene between Gideon Graber (Matt Letscher) and his surviving daughter Katie (Karley Scott Collins) where he explains to her that God, the Just Judge, will ensure that evil people like Charlie will get what they deserve. Hatred only harms the haters, not the hated. (As a side note, I believe only an insane person would do something like Charlie did - I have hope that he was no longer responsible for his actions and he might end up in heaven someday.)

Cons: The Grabers are fictionalized characters. I did not appreciate Ida's character at all - I thought her whole purpose was to add emotional tension to a story rife with more viable emotional storylines. The acting is, sadly, not very good. Tammy Blanchard and Kimberley Williams-Paisley are very good, but everyone else is, well, not very good. Particularly Gideon.

My Rating: OK (shootings and suicide (not shown), parents arguing)