The title character was a real nun (played by Cristiana Dell’Anna) who travelled to New York in 1889, where she witnessed the extreme poverty of orphaned Italian children. She set about to create a refuge for these abandoned immigrants, despite the bigotry and sexism in her path. This is the true story of this woman who became America’s first saint told in a straightforward narrative. Even so, it sometimes falls in to melodrama and some of the encounters get repetitive. John Lithgow and David Morse play authority figures with a welcome appearance from Giancarlo Giannini as the Pope. Director Alejandro Monteverde directed Sound of Freedom (my review), which also conceals a message in the story. There is lovely, dramatic cinematography by Gorka Gómez Andreu, who also did Sound of Freedom. Sadly, despite all the setbacks the nuns and orphans faced, there’s not much emotional heft in the direction. Even though it’s an interesting story, it’s told in a flat, traditional style and is too long (2:25). This is the newest effort from Angel Studios to galvanize public opinion around the message about the importance of all people. There’s a special QR code during the credits, where audience members can buy tickets and “pass it forward.” 
(2.5 / 5)
