Browse Films

Means of Grace takes an inside look at one woman writer's struggle with mental illness. Told through the diary writing of Ann Clements Conger, we journey into the frightening world of hallucinations, tranquilizers and institutionalization. We meet her daughter, the filmmaker, as she wrestles with questions of doubt, shame, understanding and resoultion. Conger's struggles are viewed in the context of her childhood and the lack of freedom women of her generation faced. Means of Grace is a presentation of the Independent Television Service (ITVS). Produced by Watermark Media for the Independent Television Service.

Means Of Grace is a moving evocation of the difficulties faced by the housewives of the 1950s and 1960s, some of whose lives were irrevocably damaged by their diagnosis and hospitalization as 'madwives'.
Dr. Carol Warren
Chair, Dept. of Sociology, University of Kansas

Clements brings us into the world of her mother's madness and out the other side. Having made the journey we have been changed.
Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner

A unique and sensitive documentary.
Booklist

A masterful achievement...every woman should view this film.
Jolene Unnerstall, Education Coordinator
Women's Self-Help Center, St. Louis, Missouri

The film's insights into the social forces that shape our lives are powerful and important.
Nancy Felipe Russo, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology and Women's Studies
Arizona State University

AWARDS & SCREENINGS:

• Best of 1996, from Booklist of the American Library Association
• PBS Television Network, National Broadcast
• screened at Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
• "Best of 1996", Booklist