Thérèse: The Story of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

I'm trying to be witty with my title, a double-entendre referring to an audience's "disbelief" in fantastical events, as well as "disbelief" of a person without faith who is trying to understand events through the eyes of the believers.

On both counts I'm sorry to say "Thérèse" failed with me. As much as I wanted to, I could not slip into believing these characters were anything more than actors, and I could not slip into believing that there was any great truth about faith & spirituality to be conveyed here.

This film is very smooth and polished, much like a Hallmark Channel movie of the week, where everything seems to be straight out of a Filmmaking 101 textbook. From 1985. Everything is so syrupy sweet that, unless you are already primed & into the moment before the film starts, you may find yourself anxiously looking around, wondering if this is some elaborate joke. I'm not kidding: if someone were to dub a laugh track, this would make a funny satire. The script is so corny, and everything is just too perfect to be believable as part of our real world.

In no way do I mean this to be a crack at the filmmakers' talents. I'm just saying that this film exists in a bubble of its own. Its beauty is privy to those who live inside the bubble. In that respect, its a lot like a nostalgic old song which only you can appreciate because it has inherent meaning to you (a summer at the beach, a first kiss, etc). But to those outside your nostalgic bubble, the song is just silly... and it probably is.