CABRINI: Some Perspective

As a faithful and practicing Catholic, I was looking forward with anticipation to the new film, Cabrini. I had no real expectations prior to seeing the film, but was slightly informed from a segment on “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo.” Raymond had a feature on the Executive Producer, J. Eustace Wolfington (who also produced Bella). 

The segment on “The World Over” focused on Mr. Wolfington’s decision to produce Cabrini. It was a glimpse into how a series of events unfolded, which left Mr. Wolfington with the overwhelming feeling that the story of the life of Mother Cabrini needed to be told. He truly felt that he was being led to tell her story.

And that was what prompted me to get advance tickets to a theatre in a neighboring city, prior to it being shown in my own town. I’ve seen it a second time as well.

And so I went, having no preconceived ideas regarding the film, other than to gain insight into the work of Mother Cabrini.

Since the film’s release, there have been countless reviews that are less than flattering on the direction of the treatment of Mother Cabrini’s life and work. I would like to give a bit of perspective from where I stand.

Much of the criticism focuses on the lack of actual Catholicism shown. In other words, there was not an abundance of scenes that showed Mother Cabrini in prayer, at Mass, before the Eucharist in adoration, etc. There is also the feeling that in the film it appeared as though Mother Cabrini was working toward achieving her goals on her own power, and not in prayerful dependance upon God as her strength. I would like to acknowledge that some of those observations may be valid, but it is important to dig a bit deeper.

Two of the many factors in producing a movie are

1)      the people creating the film, and

2)      the intended message of the story

With these two ideas in mind, we can unpack the movie from that perspective.

Angel Studios has been a bit under attack for distribution of this film, but they have become a prominent positive film company in recent years.  But what is their purpose? From their website:

We’re building a home for stories that amplify light (or, as we call it, our North Star). How do we define light? True, honest, noble, just, authentic, lovely, admirable, and excellent. Just as a compass, the stars and magnetic North guided sailors through dark waters centuries ago, our North Star for filmmaking helps us navigate dark times and focus on light in our day.[1]

The above statement was developed in part from the reason the company was began. They wanted to offer family films without the usual worldly gratuitous scenes of sex, violence and generally negative elements. Their goal has been met in every film and TV series they are behind.

The brothers who started Angel Studios are from a Mormon family. That in itself should not render their films unacceptable to Catholics. Actually,  you can observe that they tend to lean toward what we would generally deem to be Christian behavior in their endeavors. The truth is that we should be grateful for any movie company that steers clear of the usual trash that comes from Hollywood, and instead focuses on good family values in film.

So, how does this relate to Cabrini? We need to keep in mind that even though this is a film about a Catholic saint, Angel Studios decided to distribute it. Regardless of the executive producer’s faith tradition, it seems the ultimate goal of the film was not to be a 'preach-to-the-choir' endeavor. Instead, it was written, produced and directed in a manner that would be broad enough to attract those outside of the Church. And in doing so, it gave a positive glimpse into the life of this saint, without requiring viewers to process Catholic disciplines and practices, which might be a stumbling block for outsiders. In other words, it was not meant to be in the same vein as an EWTN film that is made by Catholics and for Catholics; it is a film for all. Even so, there is an honoring of Mother Cabrini's sainthood at the end of the film in a wrap up that shares all she did.

From the Catholic Register:

 "The film’s director, Alejandro Monteverde, told CNA, the Register’s EWTN News partner, “I realized this was a universal story about a woman who happens to be a nun, who happens to be a saint, but what she was fighting for is something that can unite the entire world.”

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/recalling-mother-cabrini-s-fortitude-of-soul

In short, this film's goal was to highlight the life of St. Frances Cabrini in a story-telling style that did not overtly emphasize Catholicism, per se. Yes, there were religious objects in scenes. Yes, she spent time in silent contemplation, both where she lived and in church pews. Was she in silent prayer to God, seeking Him in difficult moments in those scenes? It appears so. Was she seeking divine direction? Likely. Is it always necessary to have overt dialogue or visuals in order to understand a character in a film…or in life, for that matter? In many cases, seeing the evidence of a person’s faith in their actions and decisions can be very powerful. This is where we as Catholics offer our witness to unbelievers with our lives.

It kind of reminds me of the message of Bella, which was strongly Prolife. Did the characters have dialogue that spoke of the evils of abortion? No. Instead, we watched a development that led the main character to step up with his own life in order to save a life. No words. Only action. Yet, the message was very clear.

While as Catholics we may wish there was more Catholic depth in this portrayal of Mother Cabrini, we should not have expected it. Catholicism instead was more subtle...but still evident. And Angel Studios, true to their company's mission, promoted a film with the most basic positive (i.e., Christian) values as it taught the accomplishments of a saint who was driven by her Catholic faith to make a difference in this world. Anyone who saw the film and did not take away that Mother Cabrini was 100% Catholic wasn’t really watching. All things considered, Angel Studios and the producers succeeded a noble achievement in Cabrini: to bring a beloved saint to a wide audience that might then be compelled to learn more about the Faith.

It might be nice if someday there was a quality Hollywood Catholic film production company and distributor that produced this caliber of film, while bringing in more Catholic practices. But preaching to the choir is not always the best motivation if we want to reach those who are not Catholic.

[1] https://www.angel.com/about/our-mission