By REY FLORES
Love and Mercy: Faustina is a docudrama that begins with St. Faustina before Christ called her to religious life and follows her as she not only answers Christ’s call but receives the image of the Divine Mercy in a vision in 1931 in a tiny town in Poland.
The film breaks new ground with the discovery of original writings from Fr. Michal Sopocko, the confessor of Sr. Faustina Kowalska. Thanks to these newly revealed letters and documents, this film sheds new light on Divine Mercy and underscores that Faustina has truly seen Jesus.
This beautiful docudrama was made possible by a creative team of filmmakers and a carefully selected cast that makes this film not only very educational, but one of the most enjoyable films I’ve had the pleasure to preview and review.
The director is Michal Kondrat, a Polish filmmaker who experienced his own personal encounter with the Divine Mercy in his life. His first directed documentary, How to Defeat Satan, won the Grand Prix of the XXIX International Film Festival May 2014 in Niepokalanow.
Kondrat also made the documentary Matteo, about a monk, a great exorcist, who died 400 years ago. Now at his grave numerous healings and releases from the possession of the evil spirit are taking place. Another production by Kondrat was the docudrama, The Two Crowns, which is about the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe.
His latest docudrama focuses on St. Faustina, who was chosen by God for the crucial mission of bringing the message of Divine Mercy to the world. Love and Mercy: Faustina shows the birth of the Divine Mercy movement and how it spread.
While today many Catholics are very familiar with this image and devotion, the image did not become a tangible reality until Faustina’s confessor convinced a local artist to paint the image. The film reveals the details of the process of painting the famous Divine Mercy image that was made at Jesus’ request. Scientific research shows identical facial features of Christ in the Divine Mercy image and Shroud of Turin.
While St. Faustina would not live to see the world venerate the image of the Divine Mercy, her confessor sought Vatican approval and met many obstacles. It wasn’t until Pope John Paul II took an interest in the image and St. Faustina’s story that the image was spread worldwide. Additionally, the unique scientific analysis shown in Love and Mercy proves that St. Faustina did see Christ in her vision.
Actress Kamila Kaminska does an incredible job portraying the young and humble Helena Kowalska. In one scene, she is being lectured by her parents as they try and convince her against a religious vocation and extol the virtues of being a wife and mother.
In another scene, the young Helena is trying to appease her parents as we see her attend a dance with many young men and women flirting and dancing with each other. Helena experiences an incredible moment at that party that ensures her destiny and mission forevermore.
Kaminska brings a tremendous presence to the screen as Faustina Kowalska. In portraying her as both a lay person and a nun, Kowalska shows the future saint to be funny, humble, and beautiful — and smarter than many around her gave her credit for.
Kaminska had this to say about her performance: “At a certain point I stopped focusing on St. Faustina, and I started experiencing God’s presence, love, and trust.”
This film flips back and forth from storytelling to documentary interviews with several prominent experts on Faustina who deliver factual information with a great deal of love and reverence for our beloved St. Faustina.
The message of The Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us — all of us. He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy.
The Divine Mercy message is one we can call to mind simply by remembering ABC: A — Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world. B — Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us. C — Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive.
St. Faustina’s Feast Day is celebrated October 5, and she is the patron saint of mercy.
She was born in Poland in 1905, and in 1938, after many health issues, she died at the early age of 33, the same age Jesus died on the cross. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 18, 1993 and canonized by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000.
I couldn’t love a movie more than I loved Love and Mercy: Faustina. Now that I have experienced this film, I love Jesus and our holy St. Faustina even more. Do not miss this one. You will love it as well.
Fathom Events has partnered with the Kondrat Media to bring Love and Mercy: Faustina to theaters on only one day: October 28, 2019. Visit www.loveandmercymovie.com to watch the trailer and learn more about this wonderful film.
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