Thérèse, the Movie: A Visual and Spiritual Pleasure

The word on the street is that Thérèse, the Movie, is a pain to watch for a number of predictable reasons. Because of these comments and some negative reviews I had avoided seeing Leonardo Defilippis’s film.

Not Your Typical Mainstream Fare

However, as a producer-director and sometimes Catholic film critic, I felt it was incumbent upon me to not rely on the comments of others, but to see Thérèse and come to my own conclusion. Also, I've met and respect Defilippis and his producer Brian Shields as gentlemen who are sincere about their faith and try their best at the craft. So I went last night with friends to a Cineplex to see Thérèse, which now is in its fourth week of release.

My reaction was very different from my peers. I liked the film very much, it brought me to tears and it has stuck with me for days after. I came out of the theater a better person than when I went in; in terms of craft I thought the movie was done well. But what about the criticisms by film buffs and critics who think the film is the flawed work of an overzealous, egotistical first time filmmaker without the chops? Allow me some observations.

The film is not your typical mainstream fare, but it does project an iconic characteristic that helps to tell the St. Thérèse story. The term that best describes Thérèse, the movie, is “simple.” Defilippis avoids the busy, complex and hyper cinema techniques that Americans have grown to expect at the Cineplex. Much of the criticism leveled at Defilippis and Thérèse totally misses this very simple point: St. Thérèse was a simple person, her goal was simple, and her heart was focused on only one thing — loving God in little, simple ways. There is a line at the end of the film that states the film's moral premise and in doing so summarizes what every filmic element of the movie is about: “The closer you become to God the simpler you will become.” So it makes perfect sense that the story, the sets, the acting, the music, the directing should be profoundly simple. Such a treatment, whether by accident or design, enhances what the story is really about — the little way of St. Thérèse.

The director, Leonardo DeFilippis, has a reputation for overly dramatic one-man chancel dramas. The criticism I had heard about Thérèse was that Defilippis, who also plays Thérèse's father, Louis Martin, was acting again in his trademark overt style. But DeFilippis' performance as Therese's father is nothing of the sort; it's reserved, subtle, and refined. He cuts a good figure of a gentle, bourgeois Frenchman in the mid 1800s whose goal is to raise Godly children. For a first time film project, DeFilippis' direction is mostly consistent, deliberate, and appropriate for the subject matter, although there is some bad acting. The number of small-scale and reserved tableau's may disappoint some who are looking for larger scale action, but for the budget and the simple story that the movie tries to convey in France, in the mid-1800s, the project is well-executed.

An Iconic Love Story That Works

Catholic film critics and many Christians in Hollywood are fond of criticizing the idea of producing “Saint Movies,” as if such projects are below the calling of a writer or producer or are impossible to do well for a secularized culture preoccupied with tent-pole releases. And they have a point. But what we (and I include myself in this criticism) forget is that the story of St. Therese is not in the same dramatic genre as The Passion of the Christ, or A Man for All Seasons. Yet, there is movie material here; there is a clear dramatic goal and conflict through which the protagonist perseveres and accomplishes through death what she most sought in life.

Thérèse, the Movie, is an iconic love story that works. It's a period drama about God’s calling to the heart of a young girl, not unlike Joan of Arc, but without the swordplay and political intrigue. Thérèse is a personal, spiritual drama and Defilippis has made it admirably visible on screen.

DeFilippis' refusal to preview the movie with Catholic reviewers seemed to be another signal that the movie was a bomb. We thought he was embarrassed to let it be seen. But perhaps too many of us are cynical Catholic reviewers who are holding out for another Lord of the Rings or Chariots of Fire or trying desperately to avoid another Mercy Streets or Left Behind. And while Thérèse is not in the adventure-thriller genre (nor is it a “Presumptuous Preachy”) it is an adventure of the soul that connects to the audience easily for we all struggle with acceptance of who we are in the shadow of an Almighty God.

Before production, the script was criticized by respected Catholic script consultants in Hollywood. But the film's execution (with perhaps some script revisions) reveals a well-crafted story that is true to its source material. The protagonist has a clear goal that is expressed both physically and psychologically. There is a conflict that blocks the protagonist's efforts. The story is woven with the strands of good drama — character arcs and turning points — and there are some great lines, like the first one we hear spoken by Thérèse in voice over: “I want to be a saint, but I feel so helpless.” In that one line we have the dramatic arc of the whole movie. That is good script writing, by Patti Defilippis. In one short sentence the moral dilemma of the protagonist is presented for our evaluation, and we root for her until she achieves it.

A Rich Look for a Budget Film

For a low budget film ($1M) the cinematography and source lighting is lush and arresting. The locations look authentic — indeed, many were shot in France — but they are also simple, as the story requires. There are good reveals, and the art direction and costuming are an achievement for such a low budget effort. The one disappointment is the frequent tight framing that crops the top of some heads.

Lindsay Younce, who plays Thérèse, is believable and we like her. Her simplicity of beauty and delivery represents well the persona of the real Thérèse, and there is a similarity in their appearance. Even in her sickness and visions, we believe Younce's interpretation. The camera likes the Thérèse we see in Younce.

But the real surprise is the score by Sister Marie Thérèse Sokol, a cloistered Carmelite nun from Seattle. The score is magnificent with a sure hand at subtle orchestrations, dramatic underscore, and comic relief. I do hope her superiors let her compose more scores. I want the CD of this one.

Thérèse may not be popular mainstream fare, but it is a very good movie that is easy to watch, and I predict will become much more than just a Catholic cult classic. It will be used widely to teach and inspire young women and men about the true Christian understanding of love, sacrifice, and worship of God in the littlest but most profoundest of ways. Oh, and if you have any sensitivity at all take a box of tissue, you'll need it.

© Copyright 2004 Stan Williams

Dr. Stan Williams is Executive Producer and Managing Director for SWC Films, an independent feature film development company seeking investment partners. His website is www.stanwilliams.com.

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