Cabrini: Movie that breaks all the rules

the movie Cabrini tells the stories of Italian immigrants via the bio of a nun, Mother Cabrini, who helped the Italians immigrants who were despised by the establishment by building schools, hospitals and orphanages. Even the Catholic church, which was mainly staffed by Irish Americans, was not especially welcoming these Italians, whose approach to church and religion was quite different.

Like the previous film from Angel Studio Sound of Freedom, about a rogue US cop working with the Colombian police to stop child trafficking, this film shows people willing to face obstacles to help those who often languish in the shadows.

And unlike the usual religious themed pap one sees promoted with cardboard characters, this film breaks all the rules by destroying all the cliches of the left and right: because it is pro feminist, pro immigrant, and pro Christian.

Cabrini reminds one that the problems faced by immigrants is nothing new, and indeed a lot of what is being said about the Italians in the film is the exact same thing is being said right now about immigrants on right wing discussion boards. They are different, they dilute the race, they will never assimilate, they will never become true Americans because their culture/religion is different from the good folk of America.

So the film is countercultural, in a Catholic way. 

And quite well done: the actress playing Mother Cabrini Cristiana Dell'Anna should win an award for her role.

But of course she won't: Because this will be ignored because the woke hate religion. 

In many ways it is a Catholic film, in the same way that Lord of the Rings is a Catholic story: Not because she spouts bible verses or prays a lot, but because her religion is in the way she approaches life: Because when confronted with poverty, sickness, or the other miseries of life, the approach of Catholicism (and indeed that of mainstream Christianity) is to go out and help. 

For most of us this is done in the circle of one's family and neighbors (50 million caregivers can't be wrong) or if one is lucky enough to work in the helping professions (nurses, teachers, social workers) it is done by direct action.

Not as glamourous as protesting but hey, it is real and meaningful.

so it's nice to see a movie that although is set in the past, is actually about the problems in today's world, where immigrants in many countries are despised and often abandoned. 

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longer version of this post on my main blog.