Reviews for Savage Grace are polarized. While some critics praise its visual style and the "carnal savagery" of the performances, others found the film:
The film chronicles the glittering, jet-setting lifestyle of the Baekelands from the 1940s through the 1970s. Living between New York, Paris, and Spain, the family appears to have everything: wealth, beauty, and social status. However, beneath the surface lies a toxic cocktail of incestuous desires, emotional neglect, and untreated mental illness. Film Savage Grace 2007 Lk21
The 2007 film , directed by Tom Kalin, is a haunting biographical drama that chronicles the true and tragic downfall of the Baekeland family, heirs to the Bakelite plastics fortune. Starring Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne, the movie explores a "spectacularly decadent" world of high society that eventually collapses into madness, incest, and matricide. Savage Grace (2007) Movie Overview Director: Tom Kalin Reviews for Savage Grace are polarized
If you are a serious cinephile, seek out the legal version. Watch it alone, at night, and be prepared to sit in silence for a few minutes after the credits roll. Savage Grace is not entertainment; it is an experience. And like the Baekeland family’s tragic story, it is one you will not forget easily. However, beneath the surface lies a toxic cocktail
Upon release, Savage Grace received mixed reviews. Critics praised Moore’s fearless performance but derided the film’s emotional detachment. Variety called it “an icy, beautiful mausoleum of a movie.” Roger Ebert awarded it two stars, noting that “the film seems as disturbed as its subjects, but without their excuse of insanity.” The controversy centered on whether the film glamorized incest or merely reported it. Kalin defended his approach, arguing that the sterile framing forces viewers to confront their own voyeurism.