Beautifully acted and deeply impressive, By the Grace of God is suffused with a simmering anger.

Ozon was wise to translate the story into fiction. In their rawness and their sense of intimacy, the family scenes ferret out the emotional truths behind the bald and bitter facts.

One is prone to expect excess in a film by François Ozon, [but he] wisely opts to frame the fact-based events as a straightforward crime drama.

Yes, it’s hard to watch, but whatever discomfort cinemagoers might feel is nothing compared to the life-long suffering of the abused, something which puts By The Grace of God on the must-see list, dramatizing real and important events that should be seen.