Thérèse: The Story of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

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.

I went to this thinking it was going to be an epic in the lines of "Gandhi."

Had I known it was going to be a home movie that looked like it was shot on a video camera, and acted by the Junior High School Drama Club, I probably would have passed. I realize this is an "independent" film, and the story of St. Therese is certainly one worth telling, but it could have been told a whole lot better than this. It was poorly acted, poorly written, poorly directed, and poorly produced. It was more like a made for TV special than a motion picture feature.

This film has been done before, and with much higher quality. Anyone that wants to see this story told should check out the 1986 version of the same tale.

I'm trying to be witty with my title, a double-entendre referring to an audience's "disbelief" in fantastical events, as well as "disbelief" of a person without faith who is trying to understand events through the eyes of the believers.

On both counts I'm sorry to say "Thérèse" failed with me. As much as I wanted to, I could not slip into believing these characters were anything more than actors, and I could not slip into believing that there was any great truth about faith & spirituality to be conveyed here.

This film is very smooth and polished, much like a Hallmark Channel movie of the week, where everything seems to be straight out of a Filmmaking 101 textbook. From 1985. Everything is so syrupy sweet that, unless you are already primed & into the moment before the film starts, you may find yourself anxiously looking around, wondering if this is some elaborate joke. I'm not kidding: if someone were to dub a laugh track, this would make a funny satire. The script is so corny, and everything is just too perfect to be believable as part of our real world.

In no way do I mean this to be a crack at the filmmakers' talents. I'm just saying that this film exists in a bubble of its own. Its beauty is privy to those who live inside the bubble. In that respect, its a lot like a nostalgic old song which only you can appreciate because it has inherent meaning to you (a summer at the beach, a first kiss, etc). But to those outside your nostalgic bubble, the song is just silly... and it probably is.

I saw this at a theater in Burlington, NJ, on Oct 3. Sadly, it is the only movie theater in the state where it is playing. The story concerns the life of a deeply religious French girl named Therese Martin, and her life from 1877 to 1897, focusing mostly on her from age 15 onwards, when she entered a convent and became a nun. It depicts a very human girl and the lives that she touched. They should make more films like this. Unfortunately, we haven't had a movie like this, that portrays Catholic clergy in a positive light in quite sometime. Hopefully there will be more to come after this. Rated PG- nothing offensive, although several characters die.

When I signed up to promote this film I had ambitions of great things, but God showed me the hope of the little way.

I agree with critical comments about the film being film-schoolish. Many folks on the Luke Films team have a theater--not film background. However, Lindsay Younce was EXCELLENT in her simple beauty. In fact the simplicity and ameteur nature of the film reflects the simple child-like love of its namesake.

I love this movie. Thank you to Leo and Lindsay and St. Luke's!

The story of this little film is the story of the Little Way. For the past 5 years people all over the country/world have DONATED their time and money and sweat to finance, produce and market this wonderful story.

Here in Dallas three secular movies where moved to add 3 extra auditoriums to show Therese and more than two auditoriums were filled all through opening weekend.

The Passion had fame and wealth (God bless Mel for this gift) behind it, but Therese proves that a little film about the Little Way, can spread LOVE very far through the efforts of so many people.

The relative success of Therese shows us what Christian people (and dedicated folks in general) can achieve together in faith, prayer and hard work.