Profoundly inspirational, spiritual, and controversial.
“Padre Pio” is a realistic depiction of a specific moment in the history of San Giovanni Rotondo, Province of Foggia, Italy, when the Franciscan Capuchin Friar Francesco Forgione, known as Padre Pio (Shia LaBeouf).
The miraculous story of Padre Pio starts when he arrives at the monastery, and the wounded and starving soldiers returning from the battlefield at the end of the Great War in 1920, to find only repression in their homeland. Without being sensationalist, the film subtly and tastefully incorporates elements of stigmata, demonic possession, and oppression by the “Holy See”—and most importantly, it shows at least one of the hundreds of miracles attributed to Padre Pio, maintaining a proper balance between confronting ideologies and historical facts.
The journey of Padre begins with a series of long mêlées with his imaginary mentor and himself, which turns into possession. In these internal battles, we learn about Pio’s true feelings—mainly guilt for not being able to continue fighting in the war due to his fragile health.
After the war, as Italy prepared to celebrate its first free election, the country was divided by hunger and greed. Russian ideologies, as espoused by Lenin and Trotsky, influenced some educated people; however, a social revolution was not part of the Italian reality.
The socialist convinced hungry soldiers, farmers, and their families to join their party. In contrast, wealthy landlords, political leaders, and fascist tyrants felt threatened by the rebellious people. They sought to maintain their power and preserve their land and traditional beliefs. Moving forward, “Padre Pio” is a theoretical film about faith and the paradoxes of people’s destinies.
The recollection of the events surrounding Pio is purely observational, not inquisitive – the film doesn't question faith, socialism, or anarchy; instead, it skillfully explores those three compelling storylines without favoring one over the others. However, the movie directly depicts religious, political, and ideological conflict.
In the film, as in present times, worshippers are not inspired by faith. They follow the man, flesh, and human. Remember the words of Jesus, “You will work until you become dust.”
According to Pio, he was born four times. The first was from his mother. The second was when he received baptism. The third was when he answered the call to belong to the Franciscan order. The fourth was when the Lord went to visit him.
Shia LaBeouf's performance is impeccable and insightful. After stepping away from acting in major Hollywood blockbusters like “Transformers,” “Indiana Jones,” “Disturbia,” and “Lawless,” he has become an actor who enjoys taking risks by writing, performing, and producing independent films. A clear example of his bold choices is his role in the semi-autobiographical, child-actor drama “Honey Boy.” However, his involvement in other edgy films such as “Pieces of a Woman” and the Latinx gangster flick “The Tax Collector” has earned him respect, and he is now taking on more serious roles.
The mastery and simi-slow style of the film input by veteran American independent director Abel Ferrara (“Bad Lieutenant,” “The Funeral,” “The Addiction”) gives an artistic look to this collection of stories within the story. Mr. Ferrara now directs and produces European films like “The Projectionist” in Greece. “Tommaso,” “Plaza Vittorio,” and “Pasolini” in Italy.
According to the director, “Padre Pio” is a spiritual journey of one of the most venerated Italian Saints in history, parallel with the personal transformation of its lead, Shia LaBeouf.
The American actor moved away from earthly things to prepare for the role before departing to Italy. Mr. LaBeouf lived in his truck for weeks with no cell phone or other communication devices, and, more importantly, he spent a few months living in a monastery in California, where he assimilated Jesus’ doctrine to get into the character properly and convert his Judaism to Catholicism in real life.
Marco Leonardi as Gerardo in "Padre Pio."
It is worth highlighting the participation of the excellent supporting cast, including Marco Leonardi (“Cinema Paradiso,” “Like Water for Chocolate,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico). There is a brief participation of Asia Argento playing the “Tall Man” and Stella Mastrantonio (“Romanzo Radicale,” “The Italian Recipe”).
Salvatore Ruocco is Vincenzo in "Padre PIO."
Salvatore Ruocco is a true revelation portraying Vincenzo, a decorated war hero caught in the middle of the conflicting forces. The talented Italian actor will soon be seen next to Denzel Washington in “The Equalizer 3.”
“Padre Pio” cannot escape the controversy by avoiding making a full biopic of the life of the polemic Italian priest, including the miracles he was attributed to, the hospital he built, the thousands who followed, his sermons in his masses, and the suffering, in numerous times, of the Vatican prosecution.
The German-Italian co-production in English lingo unfolds an immense lack of sentimentality in a disjoined structure, making the three storylines easy to relate to our days.
Without pretensions, “Padre Pio” is an intimate movie of intrinsic beauty. The cinematography by Alessandro Abate (“Martin Eden,” Certified Copy.”) is awe-inspiring and complacent.
The austerity of the film, premiering at the Venice Film Festival in 2022, is comparable to other religious and social works such as Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “The Gospel According to St. Matthew/Il vangelo secondo Matteo.” “The Star Maker” by Giuseppe Tornatore (“Cinema Paradiso”). Furthermore, connecting with a similar human struggle is “Canoa: A Shameful Memory,” a true story based on the lynching of Mexico City’s students in the small town of Canoa in Puebla. Finally, the 1985 Oscar-nominated Mexican production, “Letters from Marucia,” presented a group of struggling Chilean miners who wanted to create a Union and, by doing so, were crushed by the authorities of the Sud-American country.
“Padre Pio” does not pretend to preach religion but can be considered a mirror of our present times. However, for some, the notorious absence of God throughout the film can be viewed as an announcement of the arrival of the Antichrist.
“Padre Pio” questions the true meaning of the faith placed in the beloved Italian Saint and displays graphically what happened at the square of San Giovani Rotondo. The film is extraordinary and far from being a “Hallmark movie,” but what they want to believe is up to everybody.
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