Amish Grace Explained

Director:	Gregg Champion
Starring:	Kimberly Williams-Paisley Tammy Blanchard Matt Letscher
Theme Music Composer:	Joseph Conlan
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Producer:	Larry A. Thompson
Editor:	Anita Brandt-Burgoyne
Runtime:	88 minutes
Network:	Lifetime Movie Network

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]

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,, 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.

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

• Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Ida Graber, an Amish mother who loses her elder child in the shooting and learns forgiveness from the tragedy.
• Tammy Blanchard as Amy Roberts, the widow of Charlie Roberts whom Ida refuses to accept.
• Matt Letscher as Gideon Graber, the husband of Ida Graber and father of Mary Beth and Katie Graber.
• Fay Masterson as Jill Green, a television reporter whom Ida befriends.
• Karley Scott Collins as Katie Graber, the younger daughter of Ida and Gideon who escapes before the shooting.
• John Churchill as Charlie Roberts, the perpetrator of the school shooting who commits suicide after firing at the victims.
• Gary Graham as Henry Taskey.
• Darcy Rose Byrnes as Rebecca Knepp, a survived victim whom at the end reveals that Mary Beth Graber has forgiven Charlie Roberts.
• Eugene Byrd as Danny, a camera man who works with Jill Green
• Amy Sloan as Rachel Knepp, mother of Rebecca Knepp.
• Madison Davenport as Mary Beth Graber, the elder daughter of Ida and Gideon who promises to pray for the perpetrator before she is killed.
• Willow Geer as Judith.
• Jim Metzler as County Sheriff.
• David Mazouz as Andy Roberts, a son of Charlie Roberts.
• Eric Nenninger as State Trooper.

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,, distanced themselves from the production out of respect to the Amish community.^[15] Others criticized the film for blending facts with fiction.^[16]

Awards

• Nominated for the Humanitas Prize^[17]
• Winner of the MOVIEGUIDE Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring TV Program of 2010^[18]
• Madison Mason won the Grace Award for Television at the 2011 Movieguide Awards for Amish Grace.

Notes and References

1. News: Amish Grace . myLifetime . 2010-04-09 . 2010-04-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100330142755/http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/amish-grace . 2010-03-30 .
2. News: Amish Grace. IMDb. 2010-04-09. 2010-04-09.
3. News: Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy (Hardcover). Amazon. 2010-04-09. 978-0787997618. Kraybill. Donald B.. Nolt. Steven M.. Weaver-Zercher. David L..
4. News: Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy. Amish Grace. 2010-04-09. 2010-04-09.
5. News: Reynolds. Mike. 'Amish Grace' Delivers As Highest-Rated Original Telepic In Lifetime Movie Network History. Multichannel News. 2010-03-29. 2010-04-09.
6. News: Seidman. Robert. Lifetime Movie Network's Amish Grace Breaks Records With 4.02 Million Viewers. TV by the Numbers. 2010-03-29. 2010-04-09. 2010-04-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20100405172405/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/03/29/lifetime-movie-networks-amish-grace-breaks-records-with-4-02-million-viewers/46478. dead.
7. News: Kissell. Rick. 7.6 million watch Kids' Choice Awards. Variety. 2010-03-29. 2010-04-09.
8. News: Amish Grace breaks Lifetime Movie Net records. The Hollywood Reporter. 2010-03-29. 2010-04-09.
9. News: Lowry. Brian. Amish Grace. Variety. 2010-03-25. 2010-04-09.
10. News: Six Picks: Recommendations from the Monitor staff. The Christian Science Monitor. 2010-03-22. 2010-04-09.
11. News: Boatwright. Phil. And on TV…Amish Grace. Preview Online. 2010-04-05. 2010-04-09.
12. News: Cooper. Jackie K.. Amish Grace Is A Story Of Grace Under Fire. The Huffington Post. 2010-03-23. 2010-04-09.
13. News: Baehr . Dr. Ted . Holder . Jeff . AMISH GRACE – Coming to a Greater Understanding of God's Grace . Movie Guide . 2010-03-22 . 2010-04-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100324213402/http://www.movieguide.org/articles/1/714/amish-grace-coming-to-a-greater-understanding-of-gods-grace . 2010-03-24 .
14. News: Walker. Angela. Amish Grace Is Amazing. Christian Cinema. 2010-04-09. 2010-04-09.
15. News: Movie on West Nickel Mines School shooting draws criticism. Associated Press. USA Today. 2010-03-24. 2010-04-09.
16. News: DeJesus . Ivey . Amish Grace movie fictionalizes Nickel Mines tragedy, generates debate . PennLive.com . The Patriot-News . 2010-03-07 . 2010-04-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141012200522/http://blog.pennlive.com/midstate_impact/print.html?entry=%2F2010%2F03%2Fcontroversial_amish_grace_movi.html . 2014-10-12 . dead.
17. News: Finalists Announced for 36th Annual HUMANITAS Prize Honoring Great Television and Film Writing. PR Newswire. 2010-07-14. 2011-03-22.
18. News: 19th Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry. MOVIEGUIDE. 2011-02-18. 2011-03-22.