In the middle of a squalid, violent, and dark street, a young and frail Francesca Cabrini turns around and speaks directly into the camera: “Open your eyes,” she urges, “See everything. This is who we’ve come to serve.” If there was any question that this film is a directive to contemporary audiences, it is answered at this moment, exactly 21 minutes in. We are put into the place of the young nuns accompanying the future saint, and there is no subtext to her demand: You are here to serve. Everything else is excuses and Mother Cabrini does not abide by excuses. And while Cabrini does highlight our responsibility to the poor, it falls short as a movie about female empowerment.

I went into Cabrini with trepidation. Christian production company Angel Studios is a mixed bag of high-quality countercultural filmmaking and propaganda. They are behind both the popular TV series The Chosen as well as the highly contested “true story” Sound of Freedom, essentially the Christian version of Taken. I was also highly skeptical of the all-male creative team behind a movie that was marketed as a story of female empowerment. (Cabrini was directed by Alejandro Monteverde and produced by Jonathan Sanger and Leo Severino. The screenplay is by Rod Barr.)

‘Cabrini’ Falls Short as a Movie About Female Empowerment

As a Catholic woman (and a writer for FemCatholic), I am keenly aware of the complex relationship between Christianity and feminism. On one hand, I firmly believe that my femininity is only truly affirmed in the context of my faith. On the other hand, there are a lot of misguided men in authority trying to speak over Jesus on matters of womanhood. Cabrini runs into this problem over and over again. When she attempts to follow her vocation of service, men accuse her of arrogance and naivete, and even question her femininity. While she never abandons her faith, she always knows the difference between God’s plan for women and the biases of men. Ironically, I’m not sure the movie does.

The creators fell right into some easily avoidable sexist pitfalls. Why don’t any of Cabrini’s sister nuns have names and personalities? Why were the only children we got to know boys? Why is the only other major female character a sex worker? Why must the final voiceover be done by a man?

While the movie easily passes the Bechdel Test, many opportunities for rich female characters were passed up in favor of male characters. There’s also a deeply masculine empire-building narrative that positions Mother Cabrini as wanting to take over the world with her charitable efforts. In the movie, Cabrini states, “the world is too small for what I have planned.” This is absolutely true, and Mother Cabrini did say that, but not because she was a conquistador. Mother Cabrini had her eyes on Heaven. The real Cabrini also said, “this world is so small. To me, space is an imperceptible object, as I am accustomed to dwell in eternity."

‘Cabrini’ Highlights Our Responsibility to the Poor

Despite its shortcomings, I will likely watch Cabrini again. And again. The movie is gripping, evocative, and engaging. We find ourselves transported to the harsh world of Five Points and we root for Cabrini and her sisters as they fight tirelessly for what’s right. The film is beautifully shot and costumed. It holds attention for a full 2.5 hours, which is no small feat. I can’t shake the feeling that it could have been better, and yet somehow it’s far superior than the sum of its parts. It’s a deeply flawed instant classic, and its success lies in the person of the saint.

Just as in life, the errors of men cannot stand in the way of Francesca Cabrini. This indefatigable nun’s desire to serve the poor and immigrants is the heart and soul of this film. Italian TV actress Cristiana Dell’Anna does a lot with a little, imbuing an elusive character with heaps of humanity. We are told absolutely nothing about Francesca before she became a nun, other than that she once almost drowned in a river. We don’t know how she fell in love with Jesus or what drives her in this relentless pursuit of service, but we believe that Dell’Anna knows these things. When she weeps at the loss of a child or laughs at the discovery of water, we believe that Cabrini is a real person with a rich inner life. With so little context, the entire film hinges on Dell’Anna’s performance and, fortunately, she is wonderful. 

But what message does Cabrini leave its audience with? Is it a triumphalist message of empire-building or is it a message of intense Christian service? Mother Cabrini served the poorest of the poor, the most unwelcome, the illiterate, the maligned. She served the people who were “taking over the city,” who “didn’t belong here” and who “should go home.” We have people like that in New York City right now. Let’s not twist Mother Cabrini’s message. Let’s not tell her what we think she ought to do. She wouldn’t like that. And it’s best not to mess with Mother Cabrini.