Movie Review: Fatima (2019)

Fatima (2019) directed by Marco Pontecorvo

Three young children in Fatima, Portugal, are visited in the pastures by the Virgin Mary, who asks them to pray for peace. World War I is raging and their small town has plenty of young men out of the country fighting and dying. Portugal itself has recently become a secular democracy and the government at all levels has an anti-religious bias. The local clergy and the children's parents are skeptical about the visions (some more than others). At first, the parents try to keep the children quiet but word gets around and pilgrims start coming from out of town in hopes of witnessing the Virgin or getting a miracle. The kids muster through as best they can but they experience a lot of awkward and painful moments coming into conflict with the government, the clergy, their parents, the townsfolk, and the out-of-towners. The story is framed by a 1989 visit to the only surviving child Lucia, now an old nun, by a skeptic who is writing a book and wants to learn more about what happened, especially the famous "Miracle of the Sun" witnessed by 70,000 people on the final day of the apparitions.

The framing device does the typical job of providing focus and commentary on what happens as well as making the story more compelling for modern viewers. The skeptic asks questions that a typical modern person might ask, though he is much more like a rational person than an internet troll (it's set in 1989, after all). The drama is well executed and the large cast does a good job, especially the young Lucia (Stephanie Gil). The movie is faithful without being preachy and sincere without being cloying. I enjoyed it quite a bit as a drama and as a work of faith.

Recommended.