Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Fatima’ on Netflix, a Historical Drama / Faith-Based Movie That’s Heavy with Visions of the Holy Mother

Netflix has scooped up 2020’s faithish-based BOATS (Based On A True Story, natch) drama Fatima, the story of Sister Lucia de Jesus dos Santos, the Portuguese woman whose hangouts with the Virgin Mary in 1917 caused quite a stir. Her visions of divinity and subsequent “miracles” put her, per the Pope himself, in heaven, and on the path to canonization — and made her the subject of two movies, 1952’s The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima and now this one, updated with some nice cinematography and an, um, interesting splash of CGI. Now let’s see if this Holy Mama melodrama is worth a look.

FATIMA: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: FRAMING DEVICE: Coimbra, Portugal, 1989. Author and skeptic Prof. Nichols (Harvey Keitel) drops by the convent to interview Sister Lucia (Sonia Braga) for his book. Their exchanges illustrate their divergent ideologies, but are nonetheless respectful. She tells her story. FLASHBACK: Fatima, Portugal, 1917. Ten-year-old Lucia (Stephanie Gil) and her regular, non-holy mother Maria (Lucia Moniz) hold their breath in the town square as authorities read off the names of local soldiers who were killed or have gone MIA in World War I. A sigh of relief — Lucia doesn’t hear her brother’s name.

One fateful day, Lucia and her cousins Jacinta (Alejandra Howard) and Francisco (Jorge Lamelas) tend their family’s humble herd of sheep on a dusty patch of land. “Ave!”, they shout. “Maria!” It’s a sunny, cloudless day, but they see a sudden flash of lightning and hear a rumble of thunder. Odd. It happens again. And what to their wondering eyes did appear but the woman they just called, the Virgin Mary herself, barefoot in a white dress (Joana Ribeiro). She tells the children to say their prayers so they can go to heaven, which is very much in character for Jesus’ mom. Then, more surprisingly, she tells them to come back once a month, and if they pair that with lots of Hail Marys and fondling of Rosary beads, the war will end. Then she dissipates. The kids look solemn, then shepherd the sheep back to their sheep homes.

The kids speak of their experience in hushed tones. Lucia’s mother thinks she’s hardcore fibbing, and treats her harshly. Same goes for the mayor (Goran Visnjic), a heavy secularist who’s under pressure from an even heavier secularist national government, who wants to squash this nonsense. But this is a small town. Word gets around, and the place is full of Catholics ready and willing to gulp down a tall, refreshing glass of hope. Maria consults the local priest, Father Ferreira (Joaquim de Almeida), who says Lucia’s vision of the Virgin Mary might actually be the devil in disguise, which isn’t at all nightmare-inducing for a young kid. Thanks a lot, Fr. F!

Believers start rapping on Lucia’s door, asking to see the seer, and pilgrims are pilgrimaging across her family’s land, trampling her father’s hayfields. His hay! His beautiful, beautiful hay! Dozens, hundreds, eventually thousands gather for the VM’s monthly manifestations, and the kids see her but it’s just an empty spot to everyone else, but the boy who couldn’t walk can almost kind of walk now with lots of help, and that’s a damn miracle if I’ve ever seen one. The VM doesn’t help anything by giving Lucia crazy violent CGI visions of people burning in CGI flames and being tortured by CGI demons, and saying that’s what happens to people who don’t convert; then she tells Lucia not to tell anyone about this. Good night, kid! Sweet dreams! Don’t let the Beelzebubs bite! Maria tries to get Lucia to confess that she’s lying, but that in itself would be a lie. So Lucia digs in, holds her ground and insists she’s not making this shit up, that everything will come to a head soon during an event that the world will eventually refer to as the Miracle of the Sun.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The film’s visual authenticity recalls The Last Temptation of Christ or The Passion of the Christ — minus the graphic stuff, of course — crossed with the plaintiveness of 2006’s The Nativity Story.

Performance Worth Watching: Stephanie Gil holds her own quite nicely as the film’s narrative focus. She’s asked to be intense throughout, and she does so convincingly.

Memorable Dialogue: An exchange between Prof. Nichols and Sister Lucia:

“That’s my only regret — I haven’t done enough to please my mother,” Lucia says.

“Which mother? The Holy Mother?” Nichols replies

Sex and Skin: None: This is where the comparison to The Last Temptation of Christ falls apart.

Our Take: Unlike many faith-based movies, Fatima doesn’t smash us in the face with a bible and expect us to instantly adopt its worldview (maybe Kirk Cameron should watch it and take notes). It plays like a traditional historical drama that’s pro-holy-Mary-miracle, a story about tested faith and the wisdom accrued with suffering. It endorses Lucia’s point-of-view and paints her as a hero for refusing to compromise her truth, even as an impressionable youngster. It tends to paint skeptics with a bit of a broad brush — the mayor wears a villain’s mustache and is a bit blustery and unlikable, but the film at least renders the character complex by having him debate the issue with his believer of a wife, and placing him under the thumb of a greater political power.

So at least the film isn’t simplistic. It is, however, stiff and dry, tonally airless and chock-full of overcooked dialogue; it also wouldn’t know a sense of humor if it fell out of the sky and smited all the sheep. The screenplay tends to cycle through similar scenes — the Virgin Mary visits, Lucia faces her mother’s scrutiny, a man of some level of Catholic power muddies the waters, a pious villager either asks Lucia to pass on a request for a miracle or offers harsh criticism, the mayor fights with his wife, repeat. Exciting, it is not. I felt my attention dropping like a cell signal out in the sticks. The film takes itself very seriously, even during that hilarious CGI helldemon scene, making it all the easier to poke fun at. It ultimately caters to the faithful. You’ll either be inspired, or inspired to giggle a little.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Fatima’s virtues don’t outweigh its faults. It’s a respectful telling of the story though, and those who already carry its religious water probably won’t mind carrying it again.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

Watch Fatima on Netflix