Uncommitted

Galatea Bellugi as Anna, a possible visionary

“Uncommitted”

A Review of The Apparition by Nick Olszyk

MPAA Rating, Not Rated at the time of this review

USCCB Rating,  Not Rated at the time of this review

Reel Rating, Three Reels            

            The Apparition is a personal favorite genre of mine: supernatural mystery. In the footsteps of Dr. Diana Skully and Fr. Damian Karras, agnostic journalist Jacques Mayano (Vincent Lindon) is called upon by the Vatican to investigate the validity of a recent Marian apparition in rural France. There are plenty of twists and turns as he interviews a wide variety of people surrounding the event. Eventually, the film concludes in a manner that confirms a few assumptions of both supporters and detractors without ever giving a definition answer. Much like the post-modern world, the film suggests there is “something out there” but lacks the courage to pursue it.

            This assignment is unusual for Jacques. Until recently, he was a war correspondent until he witnessed the violent death of a friend and fell into a deep depression. It is unclear why he agrees to help the commission, but one senses a small desire for meaning beyond the world’s suffering. The apparition surrounds sixteen-year-old religious novice Anna (Galatea Bellugi), who claims to have seen the Virgin Mary. “She wants us to undergo sacrifices to help bring peace and ease the suffering of the world,” she tells Jasques without hesitation. On the face of it, Anna seems genuine and the message in line with Catholic teaching and other apparitions. Yet there is a wide circle of vultures around Anna, especially the television producer Anton (Anatole Taubman) who want to capitalize on her experience, including holy cards, statues, documentaries, and even a blood stained “relic,” although it is unclear whose blood resides on the sheet.

            The importance of the tangible world is one of the chief draws of Christianity. God entered time and space in a way man could directly experience. When Thomas refused to accept the resurrection, Christ invited him to “reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” The Church, trusting this, freely invites skeptics to investigate supernatural claims like apparitions or miracles for canonization. The Apparition does an excellent job explaining and demonstrating this process through Jacques and his colleges from the Vatican. “We don’t declare an apparition factual,” one priest explains, “only worthy of belief.” Apparitions belong to the realm of private revelation, and even well-established examples like Guadalupe and Fatima are not required for salvation. At the same time, if this really was the action of Mary, the faithful should listen wholeheartedly and respond to her requests.

            Anna is totally convinced that the apparition is genuine, and soon even Jacques cannot doubt her sincerity. Yet he also senses that something is not right. Anna was given up to the state at birth, and Jacques begins to track down former foster parents and friends. Through this, he learns that Anna has been secretly keeping correspondence with someone and that several of her protectors are lying about a variety of things. The final “reveal” was a big surprise that managed to both assert the truth of the apparition and be a huge letdown. Without spoiling too much, I will only mention that while God invites, man always has the freedom to say no. Unlike the woman in the apparition, this person did reject the invitation. This conclusion doesn’t convince Jacques to become Catholic, but it does give him the courage to return to his family and normal life.

Every aspect of filmmaking craftmanship in The Apparition is stellar: the acting, the writing, the editing, the score – all top notch. There is also nothing overtly offensive and even a few things a Catholic might find instructional about canonical investigations. Yet this is part of the problem. The film wants to believe and finds reasons to believe but doesn’t want to offend anything, including “modern sensibilities.” I was reminded of the great scene in Risen where the centurion, in the presence of the resurrected Jesus, still can’t bring himself to believe. “What are you afraid of,” Jesus smiles. “Being wrong,” he replies gravely. Despite its quality, The Apparition is a testament of our times and a bit of a disappointment. Watch Henry King’s 1943 classic The Song of Bernadette; it’s a hundred times better.

This article first appeared in Catholic World Report on August 27th, 2018.