The latest film to portray the 1917 Fatima apparitions and “Miracle of the Sun” is a beautifully crafted and portrayed faith-based drama, with Fatima a stirring movie where faith, doubt, and the power of miracles are explored to stirring effect.
Fatima is released at a time where a miracle is sorely needed in the world. Miracles, in the Judeo-Christian concept of the world, are not an easy thing to come by. Rare and random, they are essentially an antidote to pain and suffering. If you need one, you are in a bad place.
It did not get much worse than 1917 Portugal, in the small village of Fatima. With WWI raging across the globe, the town square of Fatima is at a stand still as families await the news of whether their sons, brothers, husbands, or fathers have been killed in battle. Among them is 12-year-old Lucia (Stephanie Gil), the middle child of devout mother Maria Rosa (Lucia Moniz) and her shepherd father Antonio (Marco D’Almedia). One day in the outskirts of town, Lucia, along with her little sister Jacinta (Alejandra Howard), and neighbour Francisco (Jorge Lamelas), encounter an apparition of the Virgin Mary (Joana Ribeiro).
What follows is a story about faith and doubt, as word quickly spreads across the village and cynicism is brought forth by disheartened townspeople. Among them is Lucia’s religious mother, and the atheist town mayor Arturo (Goran Visnjic, playing the role with the right amount of simmering contempt), who views religion as nothing more than ignorant superstition. Even the town priest Father Ferreira (Joaquim de Almeida) doubts the claims, as does the Church itself, prioritising its image over the claims of this shepherd’s daughter. Such scepticism from the Church towards such vision and miracles is common, with many supposed supernatural occurrences still to be given the Church’s blessing. It was not until 1930 that the Fatima apparitions was officially recognised by the Holy Sea.
Standing tall amongst the doubt and scorn is Lucia. The path of saints and martyrs has long been a lonely one. It is one thing to pray to God. It is another when God, or in this case the Virgin Mary, talks back. This child, chosen by God to deliver a message embedded within three secrets, sticks to her convictions and her faith that what she has encountered was true and divine. Even years later, when an older Lucia (played by Sonia Braga) is questioned by a well-known sceptic (Harvey Keitel), she will not wane. In this current era of cancer culture and attacks to religion liberty, it is inspirational to watch.
Filmed in Portugal, including Fatima itself, Fatima is beautiful to look at, with cinematographer Vincenzo Carpinea (Barrabas) capturing the landscape and excellent production design from Crisitiana Ohori to make for a superbly crafted period movie. The performances are also excellent all around, with Stephane Gil especially strong as the face of the movie, portraying a complex character undergoing all matter of spiritual and psychological distress, yet preserving a powerful symbol of faith.
Pontecorvo has created a film of rich religious and spiritual power, as well as one with an engrossing human story. Scenes depicting the wonders of Heaven and the horrors of Hell sit comfortably beside rich dramatic sequences where questions of faith and reason are given their due. It all makes for a wondrous and soul-enriching faith-based movie, the kind which the world needs right now.
