Review of the movie Cabrini (parent review of Cabrini movie) by the Elf. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch the Movie Cabrini
Movie: Cabrini
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Biography, Drama
Length: 2 hrs. 25 mins.
Age suggested:
Release Date: March 8th, 2024
Warnings: Death, Parental Death, Orphanages, Homelessness, Illness, Prostitution, Offensive Racial Slurs and Language
Quick Movie Cabrini Summary
Mother Cabrini is the first saint from the United States. She also started a huge network of public servants. How she began her work is a very harrowing and engaging story that not many people know. This is the story of how a woman who was short and chronically ill made a place for herself and impacted thousands of people.
**I want to reiterate the warnings that this movie contains a lot of offensive and derogatory language and scenes. As well as death, fire, and more that would be very difficult to help a younger child or teen navigate. This movie is rated PG-13 for good reason.**
SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT
Why Watch the movie Cabrini?
The movie Cabrini is well made. The story is engaging and fast paced, especially for biographical film. The visuals are stunning, I was very impressed with the costumes and set.
But not only is it well made, it’s an important and relevant story that not many people know! I had no idea who Mother Cabrini was before I saw this movie (Cristiana Dell’Ana is fantastic in this lead role) and I’m so glad that I was introduced to her amazing work and legacy.
There were three lessons that really stuck out to me from this movie.
1) Evil and awful things can be done with the best of intentions. We should respect the humanity of others and be very wary of dehumanization, particularly from people or leaders we respect. (Especially during a politically charged year like this one)
2) Every child, every person, should have access to food, safety, and medical care.
3) Women belong in every space where decisions are being made and there are leadership roles to fill.
Is Cabrini Safe for Kids to Watch?- Parent Review of the Movie Cabrini
No. The movie Cabrini is not a family friendly movie. While there are a lot of children featured in the movie, it is not appropriate for younger audiences and may be very difficult for some adults to watch as well. A common line in the movie is that even the rats have it better than the immigrant people living in New York City, and they show you that in several different ways.
On top of the trigger warnings (Death, Parental Death, Orphanages, Homelessness, Illness, Prostitution, Offensive Racial Slurs and Language) I also wanted to point out that one of the lead children in the movie shoots someone and another dies horrifically. A boy pushes his dying mother in a wheelbarrow, and is then cast aside by police officers in an awful way. Cabrini almost drowns as a child. There are numerous acts of hatred and dehumanization shown.
It was a very well made movie and I do not think that any of the above was gratuitous!! I like the Mr. Roger’s quote that “Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable.” But it is worth considering before you go see the movie.
Women in Ministry in Light of the Movie Cabrini
One of the many concepts in the movie Cabrini that I thought was worth discussing a little more was women in ministry. Mother Cabrini was born in 1850 and women in leadership or leading ministries was not the standard. And yet she was the first canonized American saint who began a network of women led ministries reaching all over the world. As far as we are aware, women are still not ordained in the Roman Catholic church. Nuns are still serving in a similar capacity. The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart network that Mother Cabrini started is still active- find more info here.
Generally, women are not ordained in modern evangelical western spaces either. There are denominations that have an egalitarian view and do ordain women. In this train of thought, women are permitted to serve in every capacity that men can and are just as responsible for the religious health and growth of their homes. For more on how the egalitarian view is supported Biblically, we would encourage you to check out the work of the modern theologian Marg Mowczko here.
When she confronts the Pope about his decision not support her mission because she was a women, Mother Cabrini reminds him that the messenger entrusted with the resurrection of Christ was a woman. Later, when the mayor tells her that it is a pity she is a woman, she states that men couldn’t even do what she is doing. She is consistently told that she needs to stay in her place and not challenge or ask for support from men. And just as consistently she pushes back and makes her own place. I thought the movie was a wonderful reminder that women have always been capable of ministry, equipped by God, and should be in all the spaces and places where decisions are being made and ordained.
Also a reminder that many times children and adults are forced into labor that they do not want to do like prostitution and the coal mine in the movie. You can check out Anti-Slavery International or International Justice Mission for more on that.
5 Hard Questions from the Movie Cabrini
Cabrini Discussion Questions
1) Why are we letting children still live like this?
The movie opens with the scene of a boy pushing his dying mother in a wheelbarrow through the streets. Begging people through the city to help, begging at the gates. Reminiscent of a child begging at the Texas border wall. Or a bit closer to home, a child and mother begging at the corner of a Walmart.
2) What was wrong with the picture of the religious headquarters? What still is?
It was a beautiful bit of cinematography. Transitioning from a poor and dark neighborhood to the brightly lit, opulent, halls of the Vatican. Where golden chalices are an obvious budget and purchase choice, but funding another orphanage mission is not. And in our nation of mega churches, it begs the question not only ‘what’s wrong with this?’, but ‘which space would you have found Jesus in?’
3) How can we be so callous as to value some human lives over others?
This is one of the most important and prominent themes in the film. When the mayor is talking to the archbishop (both actors, John Lithgow and David Morse, were fantastic in their roles by the way), he emphasizes that their city and country is a beacon of hope and prosperity. And therefore a line must be drawn that does not include immigrants. Why do we still operate like this? Valuing lives born in a certain country, neighborhood, financial class, etc… more than others? And more than not valuing them, excluding them and justifying their murders and death?
4) Where have you been told you belong and need to stay?
Mother Cabrini is told to stay in her place and rest from the time she is a young child. She is told that women are not welcome, immigrants are not welcome, Italians are not welcome, that chronic disability should silence her and many more limiting commands and comments. Yet she persists. “We are bold or we die” she says.
5) If we want a world where immigrant, orphaned, and impoverished children are treated better than rats, and where everyone can receive life saving medication and care- what are we doing to achieve it?
One of the more disheartening parts of watching this movie was thinking about the children who are, right now, experiencing the very things that Mother Cabrini was fighting against in the movie. And one of the most encouraging scenes is when Vittoria reminds Mother Cabrini what a force she is. That she’s worthy and needed. And that they can make a difference.
I want to encourage you reader, wherever you are, that you can make a difference in the world around you. You are worthy and needed.
Action Steps to Help Immigrant Children Today in Light of the Movie Cabrini
Mother Cabrini is the patron saint of immigrants. She saw so much need, not only to help orphans and impoverished children but for the adults who had been shamed and shoved aside as well. In the movie we see her fight for a safe home, with food and clothing, for the children. Then we see her fight for a hospital that will treat all adults and children, regardless of their ability to pay, their background, or their nationality.
Unfortunately, mainstream society and church culture in the United States still oppresses the refugee, immigrant, orphaned, and widowed. There was a scene from the movie where the archbishop told her that all of these problems will still be around in 100 years and that there isn’t a point to killing yourself or your career to change things. That sounds very familiar to me. The problem, and the helpers, are trivialized until the problem can be pushed aside without incredible guilt and shame. A part of dehumanizing other people so that we can feel better when they are mistreated, murdered, or left in poverty and we aren’t actively doing anything to stop it.
The problems are still here, it’s true. But that does not absolve us from doing something about it. There are children in refugee camps and warzones around the world. There are also children living in extreme poverty in your town. But the most striking comparison to me would be the children living right next to the border wall in the United States. And while we cannot do everything or fix everything- we can do something. “Do we not owe these [immigrant] children a life better than a rats?”
1) Donate to charities doing life saving work, like Mother Cabrini’s charity. Or to donate directly to a charity with a high charity navigation score that is working directly with immigrant children, check out RAICES and Catholic Charities.
2) Take the time to educate yourself about common immigration myths (Here’s a short article that will take less than five minutes to read) and take the time to listen to immigrant stories. One of the most impactful stories we have reviewed is the young adult graphic novel ‘When Stars are Scattered‘. Immigrants are no more a monolith than any other group of people. Their stories are diverse, unique, impactful, as well as being plentiful and readily available. Consider where the closest point of immigration is to you locally and how much you know about what happens or the living conditions there.
3) Donate your time or resources locally. If you do not have a charity that works with migrant children nearby, consider donating your time or resources to a charity that works with impoverished or orphaned children in your area. Volunteer options range from smaller tasks like organizing pantries, to more consistent roles like tutoring.
Check out the article ‘Here’s How You Can Help Migrant Children‘ by Women’s Refugee Commission for more info from the professionals!
Quotes from the movie Cabrini
We can serve our weakness or we can serve our mission but we cannot do both
Open your eyes. See everything. This is who we’re come to serve.
There’s not enough water in the world to make me clean. ‘it takes a lot of courage to become who we’re meant to be… we’re both survivors.’
She imbues these castaways of a dignity that their parents never knew.
Do we not owe these [immigrant] children a life better than a rat’s?
I’d like you to keep your crime and filth out of this neighborhood… A good shepherd knows where his sheep belong.
This problem will be with us in 100 years and there’s no point working yourself to death and to try to change that. Some things never change.What kind of world do we want? And what will you do to achieve it?
If we are to build an empire of hope, first we must conquer New York.
-Cabrini Movie Quotes
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