Amish Grace

Last updated
Amish Grace
Amish Grace Poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Based onAmish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy
by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt and David L. Weaver-Zercher
Written by Sylvie White and Teena Booth
Directed by Gregg Champion
Starring Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Tammy Blanchard
Matt Letscher
Theme music composer Joseph Conlan
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producer Larry A. Thompson
Editor Anita Brandt-Burgoyne
Running time88 minutes
Original release
Network Lifetime Movie Network
ReleaseMarch 28, 2010 (2010-03-28)

Amish Grace is a television film that premiered on the Lifetime Movie Network on Palm Sunday, March 28, 2010. The film is based on the 2006 West Nickel Mines School shooting at Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, and the spirit of forgiveness the Amish community demonstrated in its aftermath. [1]

Contents

The film stars Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Tammy Blanchard, and Matt Letscher [2] and is based on the book Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, Jossey-Bass, 2007, ISBN   0-7879-9761-7, by Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David L. Weaver-Zercher. [3] [4] Amish Grace was executive-produced by Larry A. Thompson, written by Sylvie White and Teena Booth, and directed by Gregg Champion. [2]

Plot

When a group of Amish schoolgirls are taken hostage and killed in their classroom, their parents and the Amish community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, stun the outside world by immediately forgiving the killer. Ida Graber (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), mother of one of the murdered children, has a tougher time than the others accepting the tragedy, but in her anguish and pain, she begins a personal journey of renewed faith, ultimately accepting the heart-wrenching tragedy of losing a child after learning that her murdered daughter, Mary Beth Graber, had promised to pray for the perpetrator before her death; reconnecting with her husband (Matt Letscher), family, and community; offering forgiveness to the killer; and even showing kindness and compassion to the killer's widow (Tammy Blanchard) and children — all in the form of Amish grace.

The film was dedicated in memory of the victims of the West Nickel Mines School shooting.

Cast

Ratings

Amish Grace broke network records in multiple demographics, with more than 4 million viewers, becoming the highest-rated and most-watched original movie in Lifetime Movie Network’s history. Households (3.8/2,916,449 viewers), Total Viewers (2.0/4,020,496), Women 18+ (3.5/2,729,834), Women 25-54 (2.7/1,156,363), Adults 18+ (2.4/3,649,266) and Adults 25-54 (1.9/1,585,667). [5] [6] [7] [8]

Reception

The film mostly received positive reviews; [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] however, it received criticism because the authors of Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, Jossey-Bass, 2007, ISBN   0-7879-9761-7, distanced themselves from the production out of respect to the Amish community. [15] Others criticized the film for blending facts with fiction. [16]

Awards

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References

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  7. Kissell, Rick (2010-03-29). "7.6 million watch Kids' Choice Awards". Variety . Retrieved 2010-04-09.
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  9. Lowry, Brian (2010-03-25). "Amish Grace". Variety . Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  10. "Six Picks: Recommendations from the Monitor staff". The Christian Science Monitor. 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  11. Boatwright, Phil (2010-04-05). "And on TV…Amish Grace". Preview Online. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  12. Cooper, Jackie K. (2010-03-23). "Amish Grace Is A Story Of Grace Under Fire". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  13. Baehr, Dr. Ted; Holder, Jeff (2010-03-22). "AMISH GRACE – Coming to a Greater Understanding of God's Grace". Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 2010-03-24. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  14. Walker, Angela (2010-04-09). "Amish Grace Is Amazing". Christian Cinema. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  15. "Movie on West Nickel Mines School shooting draws criticism". USA Today. Associated Press. 2010-03-24. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
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