Grappling Grace

A warm, bittersweet portrait of resilience that balances playful humour with raw grief, leaving you moved and quietly hopeful.

Directed by

Alex Kiehl, Misha Novak

Overview

A jazz-dancing Iranian-British wrestler opens a healing dojo inside a church, armed with a belief that wrestling and kindness will save the world. Nicknamed the Iranian Billy Elliot, Saeed Esmaeli has created a unique type of therapy for the beautiful misfits of society. However, when his mother suffers a sudden stroke everything changes. Caring for her strips away his certainty as the spiralling cost of care threatens to leave them homeless. Saeed's revolutionary work with offenders, refugees and neurodivergent children has been recognised by an honorary doctorate and an award from King Charles. GRAPPLING GRACE is about grief disguised as comedy and therapy disguised as combat. An uplifting short film about healing, creativity and the small acts that keep us human.

How it feels

Warm, melancholic, uplifting and whimsical. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Healing, grief, family, identity

Content

Mild violence and language. No gore or sexual content.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer (opens in a new tab)