Savage Grace

USA 2007, 94 minutes
Dir. Tom Kalin
Genres: Drama, Suspense/Crime / LGBT

Topics: Biopic, Period 1940s, Period 1950s.

Feat. Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Eddie Redmayne, Hugh Dancy

Aroview: Featuring another fearless performance from the great Julianne Moore, this takes the family dysfunction drama to a disturbing extreme as it maps the relationship between a mother and son who were married into the 'Bakerlite' dynasty.

The long-delayed follow-up from the director of 1991's SWOON, Tom Kalin tells another headline-grabbing story from the annuls of true-life crime, again involving a pretty-screwed-up gay protagonist. Told in six parts from the late 40's to early 70's in different continental locales, this is smitten as much with nostalgia as it is with the sordid details that apparently transpired. The art directors have a field day, and Moore makes a terrific clothes horse, compensating for the sometimes stilted and pretentious dialogue.