THÉRÈSE: Review by Stan Williams, Ph.D.
The word on the street and in other reviews is that THÉRÈSE, the movie, is a
pain to watch for all sorts of predictable reasons. I had not wanted to see the film but as a producer, director and sometimes Catholic film critic, felt it was my obligation. Besides I've met and respect the director, Leonardo DeFlippis and 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 where THÉRÈSE is now in it's
fourth week.
My reaction was very different from my peers. I liked the film, and it brought me to tears several times. Perhaps my take on it was positive because I had just attended a film festival where most of the films were horrible testaments to both story and the film-making craft and I was dying for anything that was shot within the most basic of rules. Or perhaps it was because I stood in line with hundreds of teens buying tickets to THE GRUGE, sort of the antithesis of THÉRÈSE. Or
perhaps it was because I've been teaching a couple of beginning film directing courses and after watching the beginning efforts of my students leads one to
feast on anything half well-done.
Or perhaps it's because I'm a filmmaker trying to make my first feature (I've produced and directed hundreds of corporate and non-profit fare), and I know
what DeFlippis went through to get his film made and admire him for it. Or
perhaps it's because I went to daily Mass for several years at The Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, MI and know a little, but not much, about THÉRÈSE from my visits to the church's museum about her. Or maybe I just like
disagreeing with people. But, for whatever the true reasons, I liked THÉRÈSE
very much. I came out a better person than when I went in, and I thought the
movie was well-crafted. Here are some specifics.
The director, Leonardo DeFilippis, has a reputation for overly dramatic one-man chancel dramas, and the criticism I had heard about THÉRÈSE was in that vein. But DeFilippis' performance as Therese's father is reserved, subtle, and refined. He cuts a good figure for a bourgeois Frenchman in the mid 1800s. For a first time film project, DeFilippis' direction is consistent, deliberate, and appropriate for the subject matter. Some may be disappointed by the number of small-scale and reserved tableau's, 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.
Catholic film critics 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. But what we forget is that the story of St. Therese is not in the same dramatic genre as THE PASSION, or A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. Yet, there is movie material
here, for there is a clear dramatic goal and conflict through which the
protagonist perseveres and accomplishes, ironically through death. THÉRÈSE,
the movie, is an ironic love story that works. It's a period drama about a calling not unlike Joan of Arc but without the swordplay.
DeFilippis' reasons for not previewing the movie with Catholic reviewers was
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 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 were are in the shadow of an almighty God.
Before production, the script was criticized by respected script consultants. But the film's execution (with perhaps some script revisions) reveals a well-crafted story that is true to its source material. There is a clear goal, both physically and psychologically, good drama, character arcs, and turning points. And there are some great lines, like the first one we hear: "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, in one short sentence the moral dilemma of the protagonist is presented for our evaluation, and we root for her until she achieves it, and the fade to black.
For a low budget film ($1M) the cinematography and source lighting is lush and arresting to watch. The locations authentic and simple, as is the story is
intended. There are great reveals, and the art direction and costuming are an achievement for such a low budget effort. There is, however, a head-cropping
problem in the framing.
Lindsay Younce, who plays Thérèse, is believable and we like her. Her
simplicity of beauty and delivery represents well the persona of real Thérèse, and there is a similarity in their appearance. Even in her sickness and visions, we believe Younce's interpretation. The camera likes Younce and we do too.
But the real surprise is the score by Sister Marie Therese Sokol, a cloistered Carmelite nun near Seattle. It is magnificent with a sure hand at subtle
orchestrations, dramatic underscore, and comic relief. I do hope her superiors let her write more scores.
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 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.
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