annieismycat I live within an hour of the tragedy of the Amish school shooting. I also live in a community with many Amish families who live and work among us. I can only say that we should all live more within the values of the Amish. This movie depicts their culture and faith as accurately as any movie could. It showed that even the people with the strongest faith can question the course of things. But their ways would move us all. I cried so much at this movie, more than at any that I have watched in all my years. The actors brought the Amish community to life. I would have swore that I was in my own community. They could have spoke more with a Dutch accent English like the Amish in my community but the acting was genuine and the message clear. It was a tragedy, one that I myself would have a hard time with forgiveness but they are 100% right in their words, thoughts and actions. I found the movie tasteful and in no means degrading or 'overdone'. Anyone involved in the making of this film should be proud.

M Campbell I haven't been this delighted with a movie in a long time. The script was smart, the topic timely and important, the message clear, and the visuals very watchable. It's a rare movie that I can give my own double thumbs up to and recommend to anyone of my acquaintance without added disclaimers about what might offend or annoy them. This is a movie about the value of forgiveness plain and simple (no pun intended).The movie is based on the real life events that took place in Nickel Mine, Pennsylvania in 2006 when a gunman entered an Amish schoolhouse and shot ten school girls. The gunman then killed himself. The Amish community immediately reached out in love to the widow of the gunman.As you can imagine Christian teachings are a core part of the plot but there is nothing preachy about this movie. It's not meant to be an evangelical tool like some movies such as the "Left Behind" series . As I said before, this movie is about forgiveness -- the "mechanics" of forgiveness if you will. What does forgiveness look like using the Christian model? How is it done? To whom is it extended? The movie addresses these questions and more.One reason why I think this is one of the smartest scripts I've ever seen is the way these questions are presented. Nothing is sugar- coated. The hard questions are asked and the answers are not spoon-fed to us by writers trying to make their own private points but rather left be answered by each individual. Some answers are demonstrated for us by the players in the movie. Not everyone feels like they can forgive the killer and there are a wide variety of reasons given for this. For those who are determined to forgive we are given a glimpse at their inner struggle and the process they go through to reach the place where they can forgive and move on with their lives. It's made abundantly clear that forgiving people is not easy but is as vital to living as breathing.Another reason the script is smart is because it doesn't insult my intelligence or feel it has to show and tell me everything. The murders themselves are alluded to but there isn't a drop of blood to be seen in this movie. Reading up on the actual events the crime scene was described as horrific -- there wasn't a surface inside the one room schoolhouse that was not covered in either blood or broken glass. We don't need to see these things to know how horrible the slaughter was and I appreciate that. The acting is good enough that we understand very clearly what these folks were facing.For those looking for a factual retelling of the tragedy, this isn't it. A disclaimer at the beginning of the movie explains clearly that this is a fictionalized account based on a true story. It goes on to make clear that the main characters in the story, the Graber family, are completely fictional. The event is merely a vehicle to talk about forgiveness and the point is well made. This is not a documentary.So, whether you're "religious" or not, the message of forgiveness is completely applicable to anyone's life and the world would be a better place if more people practiced the unconditional forgiveness we're shown in "Amish Grace".

peachy2 This movie showed that while forgiveness isn't something that comes naturally, it is something that harms not necessarily the object of hatred but, rather, it harms ourselves, our own lives, & those around us. THIS is the lesson of this movie.It tells you right out that it's a fictionalized version of the real event, so I have no problem w/the bits of "drama" added, as another reviewer has indicated. None of that detracted from the important message, & that was the key point. If you have a heart & a soul, you will FEEL this movie ... & be forced to reconsider the next time someone does something petty to you & yours & your automatic reaction is to make them pay--because you will remember this movie, & know that if you can't get over that, you'll never get over the really difficult times.

jackrhr I don't know if this would be considered to contain a spoiler or not.I knew when I watched the movie that it was a fictionalized, Hollywoodized version of the actual events on that horrible day. I was not be put off by what I expected. What impressed me most about the movie was the unconditional love and unconditional forgiveness on the part of Amish people in the midst of such tragedy. I found the Amish reaction to be a worthy goal and a challenge to my own spirituality and way of handling adversity in my life. The authenticity of Amish life that was portrayed was irrelevant to me. I found the acting to be acceptable and would recommend this movie highly to people who want to understand the nature of love and forgiveness.