Gracie's Choice (DVD)

A desperate war between generations of women sets the stage for an unprecedented legal battle as a young girl challenges her mother and fights the system to gain legal custody of her own siblings…

At 17, Gracie (Kristen Bell, The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay) has the same dreams as any girl, but they’re inhibited by the harsh reality of her life. Virtually homeless with her four younger brothers in tow and neglected by their drug-addicted mother Rowena (Emmy winner Anne Heche, Wag the Dog), Gracie and her siblings are removed from a respite with their ineffectual and enabling grandmother Lu (Emmy winner Diane Ladd, Kingdom Hospital) to the not so unfamiliar confines of juvenile hall and the increasingly common threat of foster care. As these children's lives are on the verge of being torn apart yet again by Rowena’s reckless, self-destructive behavior, teenaged Gracie decides to forge ahead with the impossible and make the ultimate sacrifice to keep her family together—she asks to be legally emancipated from her mother, terminate Rowena's parenting rights, and be named the boys’ adoptive parent.

As their legal guardian, Gracie must meet rigorous tests that will challenge her mettle, her willpower and her energy. But, with the support of a social worker and her sympathetic high school adviser, she goes for it. Gracie succeeds in providing a stable and loving home, schooling, medical care, and, for the first time in their lives, a peaceful environment. However, when Rowena, desperately well-versed in manipulation and deception, returns following Grandma Lu's death, she promises the boys a healthier, happier future, and with every last ounce of strength is determined to win them back—whether it’s through the courts or on her own. Gracie, who has sacrificed her boyfriend and a college scholarship to become a parent, fears the battle has only just begun.

With a trio of powerhouse performances, a script by Emmy nominee Joyce Eliason (We Were the Mulvaneys) and expert direction from Oscar winner Peter Werner (Ruby’s Bucket of Blood), Gracie’s Choice is an important and provocative true drama that will open your eyes and your heart.

GRACIE'S CHOICE