Thérèse: The Story of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

I saw this movie 4 times when it played in Nashville, and I cried each time. The love of a father for his daughters, and the love of a future Saint for her Beloved is portrayed in an effective and moving film that captures the essence of the Catholic faith.

Leonardo Defilippis is the director, principle writer, and male lead actor. He is both charming and inspiring in his role as the father of Therese.

St. Therese is played by Lindsay Younce, who infuses her character with beauty, wit, and intensity. This is one actress to watch in the years to come.

If you are a Catholic, you will be blessed and your heart will be touched by seeing Therese. And, even if you aren't a Catholic you can find much to love about this enchanting film and the life and faith of the widely-loved Saint who inspired it.

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 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.

It is tempting to criticize it. and real easy. because each viewer has his perspective about Therese Martin. and , at first sigh, Lindsay Younce is far to be the perfect choice for the lead role. but... . the film has few significant virtues. the first - the atmosphere of Martin family. and the flavour of French XIX century. and, sure, the life of convent. for a not believer, it could seems be too sweet and pink and conventional. for a Greek - Orthodox like me, correct translation on screen of the biography of one of the most loved saints of Romano-Catholic Church. in fact, it is a beautiful portrait. moving hommage. for many reasons. one of them - the performance of Leonardo Defilippis in the role of Louis Martin.

Watch this movie if you are already interested in the life of St. Therese of Lisieux and are curious to see a representation of it on film. There is no pretense of cinematic excellence here. The movie is not entertainment in the true sense. It's almost like a page of the famous compendium "Lives of the Saints" come to life on screen.

Moreover, the story of St. Therese may already be a bit distant to 21st century viewers, though she is a modern saint. St. Therese represents turn of the 20th century piety and devotion that probably seems quite strange to many of us today. The story would probably be most strange to non-catholics, still a bit foreign to less pietistic catholics, but probably closer to home to catholics who practice devotions such as to the Sacred Heart or the Child Jesus.

I had always associated St. Therese with a sort of saccharine sweet piety, but watching this film showed a different side and made me admire her deep humility, a virtue that is truly strange to us now.