A couple of months ago, I learned of a new film being produced by a team near Toronto, CA entitled, “Saving Grace”. This new suspense/thriller is about Grace, a young nurse addicted to heroin. She is kidnapped by a survivalist who tells her that the world has ended and he has saved her. Despite a low budget and limited resources, Director and Producer, Christopher Pickle has brought together some intriguing talent with an even more surprisingly unique script.


Principle photography was mostly held in an old industrial building in Winsor, CA. The set looks briliant and the production quality is top-notch. Of course, shooting on RED with Suede Productions didn’t hurt either. Co-Lead, Jason Barbeck was quoted, “The location is almost like another character in the film[...] you couldn’t really replicate this[…] not without spending a lot more money“. As simple as that concept may be, In my opinion it is exactly what can make or break a low-budget film(granted, there are many things that can make or break a low-budget film). So, after reviewing some of the screen shots and synopsis the Saving Grace film website, I decided to contact Christopher Pickle about doing some simple VFX work. A few weeks prior to my stumbling upon the film, Christopher had posted a reduser.net thread about their need for some visual effect work. A day or two after initial contact, I signed on to the project and saw a rough cut of the theatrical trailer.

Now one of my initial concerns and skeptism with any indie project is acting performance. Since the introduction of digital cinema, the industry has become increasingly over-saturated with student/indie films that truly lack much talent at all. Fortunately, from my initial viewings of the rough-cut trailer, this is not the case with the cast of Saving Grace.


First off, we have the lead victim, Grace played by Mandy Bo. Now Mandy is a full-time model, currently living in London. She has done shoots all over Canada and has absolutely no acting credentials. Big giant red flag, right? Well, I first saw some of her short clipped performances in the trailer before actually looking her up. To be honest, I was extremely surprised when I found out that this was her first acting gig. The girl is a natural and truly conveys an intense character. It seems to me that all those years of modeling as proven to be useful–this newbie seems to have an uncanny ability to convey heart-wrenching emotion with the most subtle body-language. While filming on the set of Saving Grace, Mandy was quoted in an interviewing explaining her character, “[...]the whole enigma of whether or not grace is going to be able to overcome her relationship in the beginning,[...]and then the drugs as well as her fear of whats being told to her[...]and then by the time she gains the strength–is it going to be too late?“.


Our second lead and alleged ”bad guy” is played by Jason Barbeck. Jason has made several appearances in supporting roles on broadcast television and more recently has made appearances in CBS’s Flashpoint and CBC’s Afgahnadnda. In an interview on the set of Saving Grace, Jason was quoted, “You’re not really quite sure if he’s actually a psychopath or is he really telling the truth and trying to save her life“. Now, I don’t really know what to say about this character other than he really creeps me out. Is that a good a thing? Well I suppose this kind of is a horror/thriller, right? Either way, he has a unique look and definately fits the part from what I’ve seen. Honestly, I really want to see more of this guy because I just can’t tell much just yet–but he certainly does show promise.


Overall production design seems to also play a very important role to Director Chris Pickle. On the film’s production blog, Chris wrote, “While all films live in a certain heightened reality, it was important for Saving Grace to have a timeless quality. [...] A world of musty canvas and kerosene. Having a compass in your breast pocket and a knife on your hip. A canteen is a must, and wooden matches are a life-saver. [...] These things populate Saving Grace, and over time, I hope they impart a timeless quality. I want the viewer to almost smell the story world–like when a certain smell takes you back to your childhood.“

So enough of the blabbering, It’s time to watch the trailer! Now, this isn’t the final theatrical trailer and the score is temp–not the real thing. But you’ll get the idea.

The Trailer Lies Beneath…

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