Cabrini

Cristiana Dell’Anna plays the titular character in the inspiring new drama from director Alejandro Monteverde.  This film follows Mother Cabrini, an Italian immigrant and nun determined to fight poverty, crime, and disease in the slums of New York.  She is accompanied by other sisters from overseas, but they soon discover that their habits cannot protect them from the dangers there.  This latest project is a production from Angel Studios, which has also been responsible for The Chosen, Jesus Revolution, and Sound of Freedom.  In fact, Monteverde also helmed Sound of Freedom, although I imagine that viewers who found the sex-trafficking themes of that movie too off-putting will probably find this one a bit more palatable.

If Dell’Anna’s depiction of Cabrini is any indication, she was a force to be reckoned with, and despite battling severe lung disease, refused to back down.  It soon becomes clear why this was deliberately released on International Women’s Day.  Cabrini is very much a female empowerment film done right.  Unlike Captain Marvel and any number of female protagonists in Hollywood today, these women face real obstacles along the way.  For example, Cabrini persists in getting the approval of the Archbishop (wonderfully portrayed by David Morse) and faces constant adversity from the fictional Mayor of New York (John Lithgow).

Finding orphanages and hospitals for the impoverished children proves to be no easy task.  Violence comes suddenly from unexpected places.  A boy pulls the trigger on a pimp who is threatening a prostitute caught assisting Cabrini.  Death and danger run rampant through the slums, and the nun does everything she possibly can to prevent it.  Resolving conflict peacefully is her way, and on more than one occasion Cabrini presents someone with a choice to make, where one outcome is always better than the other.  The result is several excellent character arcs.

Speaking of which, I must address the film on an aesthetic front.  Monteverde transports us back to 1889 New York convincingly.  It is impossible not to marvel at the production, working from a modest budget of $50 million.  Whereas your average blockbuster costs hundreds of dollars, you often wonder where all the money went.  But here, you can clearly see it on the screen, with magnificent cinematography from Gorka Gomez Andreu.  Additionally, the cast—particularly Dell’Anna (The King of Laughter)—is tremendous across the board.

At two-and-a-half hours, Cabrini feels a bit long.  But this biopic is slicker and more inspiring than your average superhero blockbuster.  It captures crucial events from the real Mother Cabrini’s life incredibly well.  Yes, it will undoubtedly be overshadowed by box office juggernaut Dune: Part 2, and parents are more likely to take their young ones to Kung Fu Panda 4.  But Cabrini remains an important film that deserves your time and money.

Rated PG-13

2 hours, 22 minutes