Therese
The life of St. Thérèse de Lisieux, a young Carmelite nun who died of  tuberculosis, is the inspiration for this spare, sincere French film. The  obsessively religious Thérèse (Catherine Mouchet) fights to be allowed to join  the rigorous order of nuns, taking her petition all the way to the Pope himself.  After becoming part of the sisterhood, Thérèse takes joy in the strict rituals  and devotions, until she develops tuberculosis and her inner connection with God  suddenly leaves her; despite this, she never loses faith, and writes aprivate diary(which, when  published after her death, became hugely popular). The settings of every scene  are depicted only by furniture; the neutral background puts all the focus on the  rich performances of the actors, including Hélène Alexandridis as a young nun  who falls in love with Thérèse. An elegant film, perhaps best appreciated by  Catholics.--Bret Fetzer