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Dying at Grace

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Dying at Grace
Directed byAllan King
Produced byAllan King
CinematographyPeter Walker
Edited byNick Hector
Music byBill Thompson
Production
company
Allan King Associates
Release date
  • September 8, 2003 (2003-09-08) (TIFF)
Running time
148 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Dying at Grace is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Allan King and released in 2003.[1] The film profiles a group of patients in palliative care at Toronto Grace Health Centre in Toronto, Ontario, exploring their thoughts and feelings on their imminent deaths.[2]

The film premiered at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival,[3] then played at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Berlinale, Leipzig, Sydney, Singapore, Taipei, Prague, Phoenix, Vancouver, and Montreal film festivals. It was broadcast on television by TVOntario in February 2004.[4]

The film was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2003,[5] and won the Donald Brittain Award for best television documentary on a social or political topic and best documentary film editing at the 19th Gemini Awards in 2004.[6]

Reception

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The film was well received attaining a 95% Fresh rating at rottentomatoes.com. It was described as "a masterpiece" by POV Magazine's John Haslett Cuff. Eye Weekly's Adam Nayman gave it five stars calling it "Wrenching and magnificent." Liam Lacey of the Globe and Mail gave it four out of four stars declaring it “one of the most powerful Canadian documentaries in a long time“. The New York Times's Jeannette Catsoulis gave it 4.5 stars out of 5 describing it as "a potent reminder of the fearful gap between fiction and reality." TIFF programmer Stacey Donan described the film as "one of the best films ever made in this country". Dying at Grace was added the Criterion Collection in 2010.

References

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  1. ^ "Film explores death, finds life". Vancouver Sun, October 6, 2003.
  2. ^ "Allan King's unflinching eye". National Post, September 12, 2003.
  3. ^ "The best . . . and the rest". The Globe and Mail, September 4, 2003.
  4. ^ "Camera's eye on death is a 'betrayal'". Brantford Expositor, February 14, 2004.
  5. ^ "Canada's Top 10 films". Peterborough Examiner, December 18, 2003.
  6. ^ "Award show let laughter lead the way". Toronto Star, December 14, 2004.
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