The beautifully shot film
Cabrini
, released at the beginning of March, explores a forgotten piece of New York history: the tribulations and ultimate triumph of Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian immigrant nun. The Italian television actress
Cristiana Dell’Anna
, who plays Mother Cabrini, steals every scene she is in. Her dark, steely eyes portray a woman at war with the world and, in the quiet moments of the film, convey a deep sadness at not only the suffering around her but at her human frailty as well. Indeed, the film suggests that her ambition was brought on by the consistent reminder of her own mortality; lingering symptoms from tuberculosis as a child prompted doctors to give an adult Cabrini just a few years to live. Mother Cabrini’s story offers a treasure trove of insights for the Catholic Church in America today.