Thérèse: The Story of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (2004)

Director:

Leonardo Defilippis

Writers:

Patti Defillipis (writer)
Saint Therese of Lisieux (writer)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Ordinary girl. Extraordinary soul.

Plot:

The mesmerizing story of a young girl's romance with God. Her faith, trials, and sacrifices reveal a way of life based on love and simplicity...

Plot Keywords:

Saint | Sacrifice | Faith | Last Rites | Cathedral

Cast

Leonardo Defilippis	...	Louis Martin
Maggie Rose Fleck	...	Marie Martin
Susan Funk	...	Sister Anne
Linda Hayden	...	Pauline Martin
Sybil Johnson	...	Sister Aimee
Judith Kaplan	...	Mother Marie de Gonzague
Samantha Kramer	...	Sister Augustine
Jen Nikolaisen	...	Celine Martin
Mandy Rimer	...	Leonie Martin
Mary Magda Schultz	...	Sister Vincent
Brian Shields	...	Pranzini
Melissa Sumpter	...	Young Therese
Lindsay Younce	...	Therese Martin

Also Known As:

Thérèse (USA) (short title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild thematic elements.

Runtime:

USA:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #39107)

Filming Locations:

France

Company:

Saint Luke Productions

Interesting point of view

It's hard to be objective about this film. As cinema, it's "amateur night at the movies," but as a practicing Roman Catholic, it's easy to overlook the gaps, shortcomings and fumblings in light of its subject. Having said that, I found the film to be very strange; there are certainly two ways you can take it: one, you can be moved by the demonstrations of faith and piety which prompts a whole family of 4 middle class young women of country gentry stock to become religious. The message therefrom is one of overriding faith. The family is close knit, visits the nunnery regularly, dresses and eats well but their lives are centered around the church. The mother dies and one by one, the girls go into religious vocations. Therese, the youngest, goes into her vocation post-puberty. She keeps a diary and it is this which becomes the great testament of her faith after her death. As the other reviewer noted, the more faithful among us will find it moving. The other viewpoint sees a family in late 19th century France who live in comfortable circumstances and who practice their religion intensely. Their little crises with health and emotions are not really beyond those most of endure during our lives, and indeed, one can wonder what is all the fuss about. The miraculous event of Therese is the repentance of a murder in the shadow of the guillotine. This episode is realized vicariously as Therese never saw the man, nor he her. Her entry into the world of the cloister is met with hostility by some of her religious sisters who resent her comfortable background. Again, this is perfectly normal and not unexpected.

Her death and suffering from TB is likewise undramatic and one can be left with the cynical impression that anyone can become a saint if you get sick and write about it. On the positive side, the film is pleasing to the eye, with set shots of the countryside and girls in wonderful 19th century dresses. The cloister shots are likewise idyllic and one wonders what the real world was like. The audience clapped loudly at the end and I had the impression there were few Protestants in the audience. No matter. If you want a simple film to bolster your faith in Holy Mother Church, this is it.