Grace in Alias Grace

The new CBC/Netflix collaboration Alias Grace is excellent, a compelling television adaptation of one of Margaret Atwood's best novels and Sarah Polley's writing for the small screen captures the mystery of the story. Sarah Gadon as Grace manages to convey so much emotion in her stillness. Mary Harron is the fine director, so strong women are all over the place in Alias Grace.



I have noticed the role of one of the minor characters, a male. He is played by acclaimed Canadian director David Cronenberg, although I confess I didn't recognize him in his brief role as a clergyman. I paid attention to his portrayal of a minister or priest who seems to have compassion for the servant girl who is convicted of murder. He is part of a group who wants to overturn what is in their eyes a wrongful conviction.

So often men of the cloth (there are hardly ever women clergy in film) are portrayed as harsh and judgmental. This story, based on an actual trial and conviction, is set in the mid-nineteenth century when the law often superseded grace, so I found this refreshing. Margaret Atwood does not view religion as an enemy, so perhaps she deliberately chose to cast the minister in a somewhat positive light, or this may be supported by historical records. We do know that in every century some of the most positive initiatives toward equality and justice began with the church in its various expressions so I welcome even this small acknowledgment.

Has anyone else been watching the series? It is available to be streamed online, so you can watch the first four episodes this way, as we have.