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Review

Douglas turns in a captivating performance as a woman searching for professional achievement and personal fulfillment in the fiercely competitive music industry. Opening in 1958 and spanning a decade and a half, the film sweeps across the shifting tides of contemporary popular culture while exploring the life of Edna Buxton (Douglas): naive, overprotected child of privilege with an unexpected reserve of strength. Director Anders successfully captures the look and feel of the varying eras and locales, as well as conveying the nature of the creative process as Edna's songs increasingly reflect her experiences and observations. Edna, dubbed with the stage name Denise Waverly, battles against the not-so-subtle ways women are relegated to secondary status when partnered with men, as well as the societal conventions which restrict artistic self-expression. The cast is uniformly strong in their portrayals, and the film is densely packed and lesiurely paced, losing focus only briefly during the California segment. Grace of My Heart pays equal respect to Edna and the music.