CABRINI

Here is the decision. CABRINI tells the true story of Mother Cabrini, the Italian immigrant who came to America in 1889 to serve orphans and the poor, and who would become the first U.S. citizen canonized a saint. It is a powerful, beautifully made film with a strong Christian, moral worldview in a Roman Catholic context — faith over fear, love stronger than violence, prayer and Scripture woven throughout.

It also earns its PG-13. This is a story set in the slums and sewers of Five Points, and the hard realities show: children in danger, a girl forced into prostitution and beaten, a fatal stabbing, a factory disaster, parents dying of illness. The violence is intense but not gory, and it feels true to the times — but it may be too much for younger children.

So: if you're an adult or you're choosing for older children who can weather hard history, take the trip. This is an inspiring, superbly crafted film worth your time — just weigh the youngest members of your family before you go.

In Lombardy, Italy, Mother Cabrini feels God calling her to expand her mission to the world's poor and vulnerable. Her repeated requests to serve in China are denied — until a summons to Rome that turns out to be less than she hoped.

But Cabrini refuses to accept a no from anyone below the Pope himself. She demands a meeting, and Pope Leo XIII, taken with her candor, sends her not to China but to New York City, to aid the impoverished immigrants living in its slums. In 1889, she and six of her Missionary Sisters set sail into a city that has no welcome for them.

Four stars, and here is why. CABRINI is very well directed, with astounding cinematography, a well-paced story, and a truly compelling central performance by Cristiana Dell'Anna that keeps viewers engaged from beginning to end. The screenwriter builds real jeopardy and orchestrates the storyline skillfully, so the danger and stakes always feel present.

It isn't flawless. There are a few didactic moments, some stereotyping, and frequent name-calling. Some Church authorities are drawn very negatively in their opposition to Cabrini, and some New Yorkers are sharply anti-Italian. But the film handles these tensions honestly, and Cabrini answers them by opening eyes to the truth. The result is an inspiring, richly made portrait of a real-life saint.

CABRINI carries a very strong Christian, moral, biblical worldview from a Roman Catholic perspective, and it wears that faith openly. Cabrini's whole aim is to show Christ's love to the poor and vulnerable, and the film is rich with Catholic imagery — churches, crosses, prayer, and the reciting of God's Word. Its central convictions are ones Scripture affirms: that faith overcomes fear, and that love is stronger than violence.

The film also leans into the historical fact that Cabrini was a woman working in a Church and a world dominated by men. Some of the language echoes the politically correct phrasing of today, but within the true story it serves Cabrini's story rather than a political agenda — used to contrast her heart for the lowly against the coldness of those in power. Weigh it as you will; here it works in service of the history.

What CABRINI honors most is a life poured out for the afflicted — orphans in sewers, immigrants in slums, the sick and forgotten. That is the heart of the gospel Cabrini carried across an ocean: "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction" (James 1:27).

CABRINI is that rare thing: a beautifully made film about a real saint, honest about the darkness she waded into and radiant about the faith that carried her through it. So here is our answer, the same one we opened with: worth the trip — ages 10 and up. Just weigh the hard scenes before you bring the youngest along.