8400 seconds. 140 minutes. Two hours and 20 minutes. That is the seemingly daunting runtime of Cabrini, directed by Alejandro Monteverde, who came up with the story with screenwriter Rod Barr. Their inspiration is the life of Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian nun who helped shape the world.
Mother Cabrini (Cristiana Dell’Anna) is determined to raise funds for a network of orphanages throughout Asia. But her request is denied time and time again by those in the Vatican. Her pleas to Pope Leo XIII (Giancarlo Giannini) led her to be sent to New York City to help the struggling, harassed, and ignored Italian immigrants there. Cabrini and her nuns begin by setting up an orphanage in Five Points, but the political powers that be do not like this one bit. They conspire to get her place shut down, and Archbishop Corrigan (David Morse) is of little help.
However, Mayor Gould (John Lithgow) and his corrupt cronies have underestimated Cabrini. No matter how many fines she accrues or all the unspeakable names bigots throw her way, Cabrini stands tall. But without the archbishop’s express backing, funds dry up, leaving Cabrini, the other nuns, and the orphans in a lurch.

“…sent to New York City to help the struggling, harassed, and ignored Italian immigrants…”
Cabrini begins with a pointless prologue wherein an Italian kid is running about begging someone, anyone, to save his dying mom. The doctors, nurses, and hospitals all turn him away, and his mom dies. This is meant to set up the rampant racism Italians faced in the late 1800s and early 1900s. But that is illustrated through Cabrini’s trials in setting up and maintaining the orphanage. Surprisingly, this is the only filler in the film.
The 2+ hour runtime flies by once Cabrini and her mission are set up. Every scene has a purpose, and the story progresses in a natural manner. A stand-out early scene involves Cabrini staring down a pimp who is mad that a sex worker came to work at the orphanage. It is riveting, intense, and emotional. Another sequence involving an Italian fair and a police raid is chaotic in the best way possible.
Dell’Anna is a powerhouse as the title character. Her unwavering faith feels genuine and guides her every action. The legendary Giannini does not have a ton of scenes but commands all of them. Morse makes his ambivalent, seeming archbishop relatable. Lithgow is terrific as the corrupt mayor.
Cabrini is epic in every sense of the term. The directing is grand, and minus the prologue, no scene comes across as filler. The cast is lovely, especially Dell’Anna, who will be a superstar in no time if there’s justice in the entertainment business.
For more information, visit the official Cabrini site.