Amazing Grace (2020)

N/R, Documentary, 55 Minutes

Grace Fisher was a child prodigy musician, proficient on 3 instruments, and on her way to the world famous Berklee College of Music in Boston. At her 17th birthday party, with her friends present, she developed a severe pain in her spine. By the time she got to the hospital, 5 minutes away, she could not walk. By that night, she could not breathe. Grace Fisher was diagnosed as patient 101 with Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), a rare polio-like disease, with no cure and no clear understanding of why this mysterious illness has ravaged the bodies of over 500 children in the US, most of them under the age of 7. AFM strikes every other year. 2020 is expected to be the worst year yet. If this had happened 50 years ago, Gracie would be living in an iron lung, but due to medical progress and the astounding strength and perseverance of this brilliant musician, Grace is able to live a rewarding life as a composer of sublime musical scores for full orchestras, presented to sold out audiences. This 55 minute documentary follows Grace Fisher on her journey from "quadriplegic floating head" to triumphant composer relishing a thunderous ovation in the concert hall. With limitations come powers, and in Gracie's case, the power to create sublime harmonic beauty.

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SBIFF Schedule
  • 01/16/2020
  • Lobero
  • 7:00 pm - 7:55 pm
  • 01/17/2020
  • Fiesta 4
  • 1:20 pm - 2:15 pm
  • 01/24/2020
  • Lobero
  • 7:00 pm - 7:55 pm
Reviewed on January 10, 2020 by Jon Kaye

Summary

6.8 - A very inspiring doc. (Jon)
10 - Powerful film about healing and transformation. (Richard S.)
9.0 - Up close look at inspiring young woman. (Sandy)

68%
Craft 68%
Artistry 68%
What I Liked
What I Didn’t