Product: Padre Pio, Miracle Man (2000)
Rating: 1.0
Terrible Movie
This is a terrible movie, both from a religious and artistic point of view.From an artistic point of view, it is often incoherent, the plot line jumbled, the characterisations inconsistent. Also, many things are changed around in the film, that would have been more potent had they retained the details of reality they were denied here.From a religious point of view, the story flat-out lies regarding Saint Pio and events in his life, aspects of his religious beliefs, and comes very close to slander regarding fictional events portrayed in this film. The film portrays his father as confessing to adultery (this can be nothing but fiction, as confessions are sacred and sealed - plus, his father and mother were very devout and saintly and devoted to one another), and it portrays Saint Pio as having some sort of romantic obsession with one of his spiritual children. Nothing of these sorts took place. Ever!From an artistic point of view, the device of an elderly priest harassing Saint Pio on his deathbed is almost humorously clumsy and facile. I could not laugh, however; because this is also another untruth. No such person visited Saint Pio.From a religious point of view, I also found this story device distressing. The film strongly implies this man is the devil or one of his emissaries - and yet, Saint Pio begs him to hear his confession. This would not happen. Saint Pio literally battled satan daily, and the devil never won. And yet, in THIS film, Saint Pio is portrayed as wailing, "Why does he (the devil) always win?". Sacrilege.I wish I had my money back. I wish I had the two hours of my life back which were spent watching this lying, clunky, ambling trash bin of a film. The filmmakers clearly have an agenda against religion, shown at every opportunity - lecherous priests, money grubbing religious, etc. My skin felt like it was crawling, watching this (and yet I felt I must, to be truly fair in my summation). They portray Saint Pio as an athlete bounding up stairs even in old age - in reality he slowly shuffled due to his stigmata wounds. Some of their jabs are subtle, others devious (see above examples) and still others are outright slaps in the face - of our dear Saint and of the Church. I felt anger watching it, but most of all sadness, and traces of the evil - some of its lies were so sneaky. If you haven't read every book about Saint Pio you possibly could - you might not know just how badly some of the events of his life are twisted, here.Saint Pio asked his spiritual children not to give him a black eye. This film gives him a black eye. I hope you will not buy it. Please seek out a documentary or a book made by those who loved and knew him, instead. This film did not have the participation of such. Perhaps you should ask yourself why.