Cabrini

Adding to the unexciting religious filmography of the Mexican director, although it has been pointed out that there are hardly any references to God or Jesus Christ, the truth is that the film surrounds the protagonist Francesca Cabrini with a mystical luminosity, with cinematography by the Spanish Gorka Gómez Andreu, that define her in her blessed character. But the film only manages to remain on the surface of the character, it is more interested in her work than in herself, so that there is only a blurred portrait and a Manichean representation of the social differences with evil rich and innocent poor, to underline the greatness of her actions.

A cracking movie! I can't say I was expecting much from 'Cabrini', given I hadn't heard anything about it online or in real life - no trailers or anything of ilk. I was also alone in the cinema, which is pleasing personally but is possibly a bad sign for a movie. In actuality, though, it's a great production! Supremely acted, astutely paced, some awesome visuals and a strong score. The cinematography really is excellent, I lost count the amount of times I thought to myself "What a shot that is!". As for the acting, Cristiana Dell'Anna puts in a terrific lead performance - it's naturally, given I've only seen one or two Italian flicks, the first time I've seen her in anything, here's hoping she appears more in what I watch. Giancarlo Giannini also stood out to me. Good to see John Lithgow and David Morse, too. A really nicely told (true!) story. The ~2hrs 20min run time truly flew by. I highly recommend checking this one out if you get the opportunity!