The film is based on the true story of Barbara Daly Baekeland (Moore), her husband Brooks Baekeland (Dillane), heir to the Bakelite plastics fortune, and their only child Antony (Redmayne), who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The story begins with Antony's birth and follows the family to the time of his arrest for the murder of his mother.
Critical reception
Critics gave the film mixed reviews. The review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes has a 38% of approval, based on 89 reviews — the consensus reads "though visually compelling, the lamentable characters in Savage Grace make for difficult viewing."[1]Metacritic, another review aggregator, reported the film had an average score of 51 out of 100, based on 28 reviews.[2]
Peter Bradshaw writing in The Guardian gave the film four out of five stars, describing it as "a gripping, coldly brilliant and tremendously acted movie."[3]
After the film opened, Baekeland's former lover, Samuel Adams Green (played by Dancy in the film), wrote an article pointing out that elements in the film were factually inaccurate, such as the ménage à trois scene of Barbara, Antony, and Sam having sex.[5][6]
Green then took legal action against the film makers, which was still unresolved at the time of his death.[5][6]
