Christiana Dell’Anna moved by ‘Cabrini’ story

“Cabrini,” currently playing in local theaters, is the true story of a headstrong nun who comes to New York City in the late 1800s and overcomes her own poor health and rampant misogyny to build a worldwide empire of hope. The emotional tale is told by director Alejandro Monteverde (“Sound of Freedom”) who had not heard of the nun’s story before starting the project.

“I was not aware of the tremendous impact she had on the world,” the director says.

What he learned and brought to the big screen was that Mother Francesca Cabrini – played by Cristiana Dell’Anna in the feature film – became one of the most influential people at the turn of the 20th century. She became the first American Female to be sainted by the Catholic Church as well as the Patron Saint of the Immigrant for her work that started in the slums of Five Points in New York City.

The director says that it was Mother Cabrini’s spiritual strength and not the health issues that drove her to accomplish so much so quickly.

“For me, her life was the ultimate prayer. She was connected very deeply to living her faith,” Monteverde says. “That’s why it was very important that in the film the way she prayed was by speaking for those who had no voice.

“Fighting for those who were losing their human dignity. She, herself, was facing her own mortality but I think her faith was stronger than death itself.”

The task of playing the saintly character fell to Italian actress Christiana Dell’Anna. Before taking on the role, her work included “Gomorrah,” “The Hand of God,” “The King of Laughter” and “Mr. Happiness.”

Just like her director, Dell’Anna was not that familiar with Mother Cabrini’s story. After she was cast, Dell’Anna dove into research and was immediately surprised by how the Italian nun was not that well known in her home country of Italy.

What she was able to discover was that Mother Cabrini was driven by her spiritual commitments but that was mingled with her own personal issues and ambitions.

“The element of faith was there because she grew up in the Catholic family. But all her motivations, her reasons, to me, live in a completely different world. In a very private world as well,” Dell’Anna says. “She definitely knew she had only a short time to live and wanted to make the most of it.

“We talked a lot about how ambitious she was and that is a very human thing, and it doesn’t have anything holy or religious about it.”

The human elements of the story are quite dark as Mother Cabrini worked in a world described as a place where rats lived a better existence than humans. Even after the filming was done and Dell’Anna got to see the finished product, she cried watching many of the scenes.

She faced the emotional moments three times.

“It was a real journey for me and in a journey, you live it three times – when you plan it, when you do it and when you remember it,” Dell’Anna says. “When I was researching it I was very moved.

“When I was acting in it, I brought it home with me sometimes at night. Now that I am remembering it, it will stay with me.”

Monteverde surprised the feature film world last year with his movie “Sound of Freedom.” Despite being released by a small studio with little fanfare, it became one of the biggest box office draws of the summer, often outdrawing major blockbusters.

The film attracted the massive moviegoing audience through its story that examined the horrors of the trafficking of children. The director goes down a similar path with his new film. It also looks at the inhumane treatment of children and how one person finds a way to make a difference.

The director explains that he always assumed his focus on the plight of children was an unconscious act. Now he is thinking there may be a reason he is drawn to projects such as “Sound of Freedom” and “Cabrini.”

“The first movie I made, I was working with a kid. I remember when I finished the film, I said I would never work with children again. They are so difficult,” Monteverde says. “And then, three movies later it got bigger and bigger.

“It has just been very interesting that there is a narrative that is happening that I am not aware of. There is this drive to tell stories about protecting the innocence of children because the four films have to do with – in a way – there is a narrative chain that involves protecting children.”

Monteverde – whether consciously or unconsciously – is shining a light on the plight of children. Just like Mother Cabrini, the director seeks to give a voice to the voiceless through his films.

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