Cabrini

Many people today know or have visited a Cabrini Hospital somewhere in this world, however this phenomenon didn't happen without many 'storms' in Francesca Cabrini's way--the nun whose only concern was to help the poor and sick, especially children. "Cabrini" is the story of how this one woman, through her faith and perseverance, was able to help those in need. 

This centers around Francesca Cabrini (Cristiana Dell'Anna), an Italian immigrant who arrives in New York City in 1889 and is greeted by disease, crime and impoverished children. Cabrini sets off on a daring mission to convince a skeptical archbishop, Corrigan (David Morse) and subsequently the mayor of New York, Gould (John Lithgow) to secure housing and healthcare for society's most vulnerable. With broken English and poor health, Cabrini uses her entrepreneurial mind to build an empire of hope unlike anything the world had ever seen.

Others to round out the cast are Giancarlo Giannini as Pope Leo XIII, Federico Castelluccio as Senator Bodio, Romana Maggiora Vergano as Vittoria, Patch Darragh as Dr. Murphy, Jeremy Bobb as Theodore Calloway and Katherine Boecher as American nurse #2.

This was directed with amazing pathos and conviction by Alejandro Monteverde ("Bella" '06, "Little Boy" '15, "Sound of Freedom" '23) plus shorts. It is no surprise that this filmmaker was able to pull off the incredible capability on this film, considering how well he helmed "Sound of Freedom". His ability to encourage his actors to emit certain emotions to convey the passion and compassion presented in this film was remarkable. It was equally well penned by writer Rod Barr ("Is That You?" (story) '14, "Sound of Freedom" '23), based on a story by Rod Barr and Alejandro Monteverde.  Again, this film was written with an incredible amount of compassion and intensity just as with "Sound of Freedom", that created an  awe inspiring premise. It was sequenced well and staged and paced with expertise. For the two and a quarter hour running time, it moved right along and kept up with convincing its audience of the sheer importance of protecting and caring for children. Dell'Anna as Cabrini was absolutely amazing as the nun spearheading this cause and could possibly see a nod come Oscar time. If you respect the writing of Rod Barr, his "The Conviction" is in development. 

Certainly if you liked "Sound of Freedom", you'll love this. One doesn't have to be of the Catholic belief to appreciate this story since this is about one woman's crusade in helping the most vulnerable: our children!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                        Rated: PG-13                                         142mins.