Those are the words Jesus shared with St. Faustina. If this movie only served as an instrument of grace to assist in the conversion of Shia-- then for that reason alone the movie was well worth it.
As someone very knowledgeable about the life of St. Padre Pio, this film falls short. If I had to guess, St. Pio was only present in 20% of this movie -as other reviewers have complained.
As a child St. Pio's mother asked him why he wouldn't play with the other children and he stated... "they speak with too much vulgar language." St. Pio dropping an F- bomb in reality was probably unlikely. Some people have avoided the movie for this reason alone . However, the single-use of the word was invoked to convey an emotion...so I think it should be given a pass as the intent was honest.
The portrait of St. Pio in this film reads more like a man tormented with mental illness, than the man I know St. Pio to be... 'which is a man who fully surrendered to the will to God in humility and obedience while undergoing heroic trials & suffering.'
Shia experienced conversion during the making of this film, and his spiritual immaturity is definitely highlighted against the complexity of the real Padre Pio. I'm certain the portrayal of Padre Pio in 10-20 yrs from now (by Shia) would be more on point... as he grows into his conversion. Nevertheless, his portrayal of Pio had an endearing child-like quality that should not be overlooked.
In short, the failure of this movie was not Shia. The failure was with the writer and director as neither had a grasp on what this movie was supposed to be about.
The film has merit artistically & stylistically. If one can surrender their expectations of this film beforehand (with a form of holy detachment) while remaining an impartial observer of a smattering of various independent broken lives (during an interesting and important era) the viewing experience can be very rewarding. After all, the experiences and messages conveyed in this film are very weighty in themselves... something we rarely see in movies these days.
As someone very knowledgeable about the life of St. Padre Pio, this film falls short. If I had to guess, St. Pio was only present in 20% of this movie -as other reviewers have complained.
As a child St. Pio's mother asked him why he wouldn't play with the other children and he stated... "they speak with too much vulgar language." St. Pio dropping an F- bomb in reality was probably unlikely. Some people have avoided the movie for this reason alone . However, the single-use of the word was invoked to convey an emotion...so I think it should be given a pass as the intent was honest.
The portrait of St. Pio in this film reads more like a man tormented with mental illness, than the man I know St. Pio to be... 'which is a man who fully surrendered to the will to God in humility and obedience while undergoing heroic trials & suffering.'
Shia experienced conversion during the making of this film, and his spiritual immaturity is definitely highlighted against the complexity of the real Padre Pio. I'm certain the portrayal of Padre Pio in 10-20 yrs from now (by Shia) would be more on point... as he grows into his conversion. Nevertheless, his portrayal of Pio had an endearing child-like quality that should not be overlooked.
In short, the failure of this movie was not Shia. The failure was with the writer and director as neither had a grasp on what this movie was supposed to be about.
The film has merit artistically & stylistically. If one can surrender their expectations of this film beforehand (with a form of holy detachment) while remaining an impartial observer of a smattering of various independent broken lives (during an interesting and important era) the viewing experience can be very rewarding. After all, the experiences and messages conveyed in this film are very weighty in themselves... something we rarely see in movies these days.