Thérèse

Arguably the best movie dealing with religion since Maurice Cloche's "Monsieur Vincent".Ste Therese de Lisieux is one of the most popular saints of all time.I saw statues of her in Hungarian churches and elsewhere.Alain Cavalier makes his comeback with this work.His best are earlier movies like "le combat de l'île" and "l'insoumis'.But "Therese" does not seem to come from the director of those two former works.Bresson's shadow hangs over all the movie,but ,if Cavalier's work is as austere and stripped of embellishment as "le journal d'un curé de campagne" auteur,he lets some sunshine in these thick walls.These foolish things,that make a life worthwhile turn up at every corner of the screenplay:the lobster -it's the devil !,a little nun says-the nuns dancing and sipping Champagne,the nun's former fiancé who always loves her . More than a linear story,we attend vignettes of everyday life in the cloister.No music at all,which is a very good idea.No sensationalism,no pathos,it's the simple life of humble Therese whose face is beaming all along the movie and whose short life was totally devoted to Jesus,and thus was not that much sad.At 80 or more,some people are still looking for their way.

Catherine Mouchet does not play the part:she is Therese.But this role left its mark so deeply on her career that it was very hard for her to find a follow-up. So far,she did not.

Cavalier made his movie from a completely impartial standpoint.He shows us the dark side of this convent life: -Give her morphin,the doctors says!as Therese develops tuberculosis

-Our saviour didn't have any ,a nun answers.

-But he only suffered for a few hours!

-He's STILL suffering when he sees our poor world.

If you are looking for something different,for something which maybe will make you see the others differently,take a chance on this movie.

NB:After the critically-acclaimed "Thérèse" ,Jean Delannoy tried to jump onto the bandwagon and made a "Bernadette" who got unanimous thumbs down

As a lover of saints and cinema, I seek out films with true depictions of holy personages. This one takes the cake. Cavalier himself called it a documentary. The auspiciousness of saint Theresé is channeled and caught in every artistic detail for 90+ minutes of immortal artwork.

The life of little St. Therese of Lisieux, depicted in minimalist vignettes. Therese and her sisters are all nuns in a Carmelite convent. Her devotion to Jesus and her concept of "the little way" to God are shown clearly, using plain modern language.

It won the 1987 César Awards for Best Film, Best Writing, and Best Editing. The film also won the Jury Prize at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. Catherine Mouchet won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for 1987 for her performance. Did she fulfill that promise? Although still acting thirty years later (2016), I think it is safe to say that "Therese" remains Mouchet's best known film.

Which is not to say she shouldn't be known for it, because it really does capture the lie of a saint in a modest and respectful way. I am not terribly religious, but I see the appeal and this would make an excellent film to show to younger people about devotion and faith. The world has fewer nuns these days, and perhaps that is a mistake.

I'm a believer, but that one is really too much for me. "Thérèse" might be the most boring film ever made. One might say that subject is not precisely a cheerful one, and that it's all interiority, but Cavalier plays it too austere, mistaking Ste Thérèse for Jansenius. There must be a way to show faith on the screen other than Hollywood or Robert Bresson.

I recall this being shown one Friday afternoon while in secondary school (a Catholic college no less); rewatching THERESE now, I can't fathom what my reaction might have been at the time – since it is far more stark (to the point where there are barely any sets!) than the Vittorio Cottafavi TV-film about the same subject which preceded the viewing. Incidentally, while the latter was interesting in depicting the inquiry into the Carmelite nun's canonization (without her ever appearing on-screen), this purports to present her actual life – but does it in a such a fragmentary, low-key manner (evoking memories of the work of one of my favorite auteurs, Robert Bresson) as to shed no more light on her professed saintliness: in this respect, the two films are in perfect agreement…while rendering the version under review somewhat pointless! Mind you, artistically, THERESE is undeniably sound – if drawing unwarranted attention to itself (especially in the obscure insistence on detail which is sometimes decidedly revolting!) – with Catherine Mouchet's central performance proving similarly compelling. Anyway, the film caught the critics' attention at the time – winning a great many Cesar awards (France's equivalent to the Oscar) and, as I intimated in my introduction, made the rounds internationally in an English-dubbed version (in spite of its limited commercial appeal).