Bakhita, de l'esclavage à la sainteté

EWTN ran this film in two parts and I was captivated by the performance of FAtou Kine Boye as Bakhita, a slave girl rescued from Africa as a little girl. She was taken to Italy by a wealthy merchant and given the role of caretaker of the man's daughter. She encounters severe racism in Italy but overcomes the people's hatred by her good works during bad times there. A local priest befriends her and eventually she finds her way to Catholicism. The journey is a magical one and as a struggling Catholic, I cannot recommend this great movie highly enough.

impressive the performance of Fatou Kine Boye who gives nuanced portrait of a remarkable Romano-Catholic saint from the XX century. touching the message who blend important theme of every day reality - racism and prejudge, condition of woman and values of family, faith and the expression of the love for the other. a film who respects the rules of genre but who does it with lovely grace. a story about survive and sacrifice. and the role of the other to build your life. pathetic in few scenes, preserving the air from children books in other, it is useful for remind the small essential things who represent foundation of real happiness. the portrait of Josepha Bakhita remains in memory of viewer a water color painting. and that is one of the great virtues of film.

like many religious films, it is a story for faith. illustration of an existence well - known for believers. so, not the artistic virtues are essential but the science to sustain/feed the faith. so, it is touching, delicate and a moral lesson. but it is another aspect, too. the place of other in a different society. the public images of a black woman in a world in which values are fragile or hypocrite. her war against labels and prejudice. against a reality who becomes piece of clay for her words and gestures. sure, it is a sentimental story with large parts of pink nuances. but this is not a bad fact. only basis for discover another saint. and understands her.

"it has always been this way for me. I am a slave."

Bakhita is a tender-hearted story. She was a powerless stranger in a foreign land - more than a stranger as she was the first like her to be among these foreigners. Her presence provoked love, fear, strength, peace and violence. She remains calm throughout her circumstances. She calmly bares her back to the whip.

"who is this?" "it is Jesus, the son of God" "in my country, only slaves are crucified."

As I get older, the more I appreciate the tender-hearted stories.

"you owed us nothing but you gave us all."

I will watch 'Bakhita' again.

Every so often, a truly great soul comes along in life. These are people who seem to be imbued with love, kindness and generosity. Goodness flows from them all the time, wherever they are, in whatever they do. We all know many good people, but these great souls stand out above all others. Some of us may have met one or two such people in our lives. Others of us have heard or read about one or more such people. But whether we have known such a person, or read a story, or heard a tale, or seen a movie, we are moved and inspired by them.

"Bakhita" is a story of such a person. It is a story about freedom, love, unselfishness and sacrifice. It also gives a picture of the cruelty and inhumanity of the slave trade prevalent in northern Africa in the 19th century. The film is inspired by the story of a Black Sudanese girl who was kidnapped and sold as a slave, and who later became a Catholic nun in Italy.

Bahkita was born around 1869 in the Darfur region of Sudan. She was kidnapped by Arab slave traders at age nine, and suffered frequent beatings and torture. At age 14 she was sold to an Italian official who took her to Italy two years later. She was given to a friend to care for his daughter, and three years later she entered a school in Venice that was run by an order of nuns. At age 21 she was baptized and three years later entered the convent. She took religious vows in 1896, and worked the rest of her life in convents in Italy. She died in 1947, and in 2000 was canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II.

This excellent film is a highly fictionalized version of her story. But the message of Bakhita's great love and care for others is beautifully portrayed. The cast, setting, direction and all aspects of the film are excellent. It's an inspiring story about the great freedom found in unselfishness and the power of love to change hearts, minds and lives.