Savage Grace (2008)

Julianne Moore in period clothing is something to see -- the pale, freckled skin, the gorgeous dresses, the campy sun glasses. In Tom Kalin's Savage Grace, an oddly compelling film about contemptible people doing contemptible things to each other, Moore plays American socialite Barbara Bakelite who was infamously murdered by her son in a shocking case that captured the nation's attention.

Eddie Redmayne, primarily known for his work on the British stage, plays Moore's sexually conflicted son Tony; he proves himself to be equally pale, wan and extraordinarily good looking as his famous on-screen mother -- no small feat. While both actors are a sumptuous treat to look at, as are many of the European locations, Savage Grace seems valuable more for its camp value than for its emotional truths.

Savage Grace is Kalin's first feature film since the 1992 critically acclaimed Swoon, based on another true story, the case of gay lovers Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold Jr. who kidnapped and murdered a child in the early 1920s for the thrill.

Starring: Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Eddie Redmayne, Unax Ugalde, Belen Rueda
Directed by: Tom Kalin
Produced by: John Wells, Temple Fennell, Johnathan Dorfman
Running Time: 1 hr. 37 min.
Release Date: May 30th, 2008 (limited)
Distributors: First Take (IFC)