The Letters

This film is laughable propaganda. Read Christopher's Hitchens "Missionary Position" and you will understand just how much this "saint" was a despicable fake and fraud.

Normally I don't see a movie if it doesn't get great reviews, but this time, I decided to see The Letters on the recommendation of a friend. I was pleasantly surprised leaving me to wonder why the harsh reviews? I was entertained, I learned much that I didn't know, I was absorbed, I cried, laughed, it was beautifully filmed and the actors were wonderful. Most of all, I left feeling uplifted. This constitutes a good movie in my books! I believe a critic's criteria for judging a movie is somewhat different from the viewing public. Some of the most beloved and enduring movies of all time suffered from critics' initial panning. And haven't we all seen movies that got great reviews, and we left feeling duped because they were so bad? So my advice is to see The Letters and judge for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

Greetings again from the darkness. All we need is one more miracle. Having been beatified with one "confirmed" miracle, it's that missing second one that stands between Mother Teresa and Sainthood. At times the film from director William Rilead plays like a highlight reel for Mother Teresa's induction into the Catholic Hall of Fame, as the dual emphasis is on all the good things she did for the poor, as well as the surprising sense of isolation and abandonment she felt most of her life.

The film is structured in flashback form as a priest played by Rutger Hauer is charged with researching the case for canonizing the late Mother Teresa. He crosses paths with Father Celeste van Exem (Max von Sydow), who shares the saved correspondence from Mother Teresa that provides the title of the movie. These very personal letters spanned 50 years and act much as a journal of her work and emotions.

Most of the movie takes us through the progression of Mother Teresa's life. A slump-shouldered Juliet Stevenson portrays the nun as a woman on a mission from God … despite the obstacles from her detractors: jealous and disapproving nuns, many in the Catholic Church, and even some of the local citizens whom she desired to help. Her commitment to assist "the poorest of the poor" placed her in some tough situations and undesirable environments. She seemed to take on the suffering of those she was serving.

Given her proclamation that "It's God's will, not mine", the Vatican approved her plan to go outside the Loreto Order to serve the poor. Two years later, her application for a new order was approved, resulting in the congregation of The Missionaries of Charity. Her mission then had structure and backing, and so began to make real progress.

Capturing the essence of this woman is what the film does best. We absolutely understand how she became "an icon of compassion for all religions" by giving "voice to the poor". Perhaps, given the times we are in, this ability to serve multiple religions could itself by considered a miracle. As with any person who serves others, Mother Teresa had (and has) her detractors and critics. She (like her Catholic Church) opposed contraception … despite the needs within the community she served. Others accused her of mismanaging the millions in contributions, and spending too much effort recruiting new Catholics. Again, those accusations are not the purpose of the film, which instead profiles a woman who helped so many who otherwise would have been ignored in their misery.

As a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1979, her commitment to the cause resulted in her most public recognition and brought her full circle from an early line of dialogue: "I may not be wanted here, but I am needed." Regardless of the Catholic rule book requirements, it's difficult to imagine a modern day person more worthy of being considered a Saint.

The letters has some really good moments that really showcased the impact of someone like Mother Teresa on this planet. Certain moments that were uplifting and showed the type of woman she was through her 60 years of helping the poor.

I wish the movie was a little bit better, however. I thought the acting could have used a little more emotion. It seem a lot of times more like someone reading their lines off a cue card than actually acting.

The setup of The Letters maybe at fault. The Letters is about a priest who is trying submit Mother Teresa for sainthood. After witnessing one miracle, he gets a call from the arch Bishop who gives him Letters Mother Teresa gave to him that documented her work from her own point of view.

The movie gives a feel of going from letter to letter. I'm not sure if that was what they met to do or that's just how it ended up, but it made the movie hard to get into on an emotional level.

It's worth it to see how Sister Teresa becomes mother Teresa (especially if you don't know), but it does not pull the stings of your heart like it should.

This is the second movie about Mother Teresa I've seen in my lifetime, the first being Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor starring Geraldine Chaplin from several years back. This one goes through similar territory concerning her career of helping the poor but also explores her letters that gets discovered by some present-day cardinals. In those letters, she mentions how lonely and depressed she felt during all those years of doing what she always said was God's work though she never expressed that publicly and in fact, wanted those letters destroyed after she passed on not wanting the burden of being thought of as less-than-thankful for her life's work. My mom watched this with me and we both agreed it was another well-made film about a woman who sacrificed so much during her lifetime. So that's a high recommendation of The Letters.