Cabrini
By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Insightful but overlong biopic has sad deaths, prejudice.
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Cabrini
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Based on 5 parent reviews
Excellent historical tale
Cabrini was an outstanding film that tells a story of a difficult time and the leader who overcame obstacles to make her bit of the world better. our family all loved it, from kids who were barely ten to adults. highly recommended.
What's the Story?
CABRINI begins with Lombardy-based Sister Francesca Cabrini (Cristiana Dell'Anna) being invited to Rome to meet with Pope Leo XIII (Giancarlo Giannini). She hopes to secure a mission to China to open orphanages with her Order of Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At first, the pope declines, but she persists and convinces him to grant her a mission. But he asks her to go not to China, but to America, where the Catholic Italian immigrants in New York City are in desperate need of help and hope. Cabrini and her sisters land in New York in 1889 and immediately head to the infamous slum of Five Points, a neighborhood so notorious that a young sex worker named Vittoria (Romana Maggiora Vergano) takes pity on them, incurring the wrath of her pimp. The archbishop of New York, Michael Corrigan (David Morse), is opposed to Mother Cabrini's ambition and prohibits her from soliciting non-Italians for donations. As Cabrini begins to care for more and more children, she refuses to stop advocating for more space and aid, angering not only the archbishop, but also the racist Mayor Gould (John Lithgow), who wants "those dirty Italians" kept to the slums. At every turn, Cabrini refuses to back down, staying true to her calling to provide shelter, education, and love to the poorest and most vulnerable.
Is It Any Good?
Propelled by Dell'Anna's nuanced leading performance, this biopic about the influential Catholic missionary is insightful, if too long. Cabrini is a tribute to a selfless woman of tremendous faith and also a reminder of the fact that, to quote Hamilton, immigrants get the job done. Both the character and the film are surprisingly feminist. Mother Cabrini doesn't let her accent, her gender, her size, or her disability (she's sickly and frail) keep her from following her purpose to house, love, and teach the poorest of the poor. That said, the script is a bit heavy-handed, making almost every single interaction Cabrini has with a man into a horror show of vitriol and epithets. (The only exceptions are Patch Darragh's kindhearted Dr. Murphy and, in the third act of the movie, the reluctantly respectful archbishop.)
Monteverde also doesn't really explore Cabrini's relationship with the rest of her order, spending more time on her friendship with Vittoria instead. It's a shame, because everyone in the order is as committed to the cause as Cabrini. There's an underdeveloped minor subplot about Cabrini asking Giovanni (Christopher Macchio), a Caruso-like opera singer, for help, only to be turned away until she returns to his window with a chorus of orphaned Italian children singing in perfect harmony. (Andrea Bocelli's daughter Virginia is the soloist, and the father-daughter duo sing the movie's end-credits song, "Dare to Be.") The overfull screenplay—particularly some of the repetitive scenes of White men shutting Cabrini down at every step—can sometimes make the plot feel plodding. But there's much to admire about Cabrini's life, and the movie does capture her enduring determination and dedication, against all odds.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence and language in Cabrini. Were the ethnic slurs necessary to the story? What about the violence?
What did you learn about Mother Cabrini's (now Saint Cabrini's) mission and impact? What character strengths does she embody?
Since this movie is about a nun, does that make it a faith-based movie? Does the movie appeal to secular audiences as well?
Do you think that this movie has feminist messages? Why is it so notable that Mother Cabrini was a woman?
The movie is based on a real person, but characters, scenes, and dialogue are fictionalized. Why do you think filmmakers might change facts in movies that are based on actual events?
Movie Details
- In theaters: March 8, 2024
- On DVD or streaming: May 27, 2024
- Cast: Cristiana Dell'Anna , David Morse , John Lithgow
- Director: Alejandro Monteverde
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Angel Studios
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Great Girl Role Models , History
- Character Strengths: Compassion , Empathy , Humility , Perseverance
- Run time: 145 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: thematic material, some violence, language and smoking
- Last updated: May 24, 2024
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