Deciphering the New Padre Pio Movie

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Abel Ferrera’s new movie, “Padre Pio,” is less a story about the beloved saint and more a commentary on the post-WWI political environment in a little Italian town. Instead of following Padre Pio, the film spends most of its time focusing on the inhabitants of the town as they are courted by a rising socialist political party promising them “freedom” from their poverty. 

So when I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Padre Pio actor Shia LeBeouf, director Abel Ferrera, and Capuchin Brother Alexander Rodriguez, the first question I asked was, “What is ‘Padre Pio’ about?”

So, what is the movie about? 

Br. Alex Rodriguez, a real Capuchin brother from California who plays a small part in the film and was instrumental in preparing Shia for the role, answered that the movie is about “coming to know who Padre Pio was before he received the stigmata.” Shia, however, said that “It’s really about loving Christ with all your heart.”

The movie has many scenes that are difficult to watch, including those wherein Padre Pio, as played by Shia, wrestles and converses with Satan and even unknowingly receives Satan in confession before screaming at him to proclaim that Jesus is Lord. We learn later in the movie that these encounters are Pio’s way of banishing Satan during his frequent visits to the saint. Indeed, during the few moments when Padre Pio is onscreen for the movie, he is often in distress: doubting his calling or God’s love, beset by temptation, and once even fighting these temptations while naked and crying on the floor.

These scenes are challenging to see and not feel that they are placed there for shock value. One Catholic commentator has already called for Catholics to boycott the movie. 

Yet at the same time and by their own admission, both director Ferrera and star Shia hold a deep love and respect for Padre Pio. Do we know whether these scenes actually happened? Is it possible to study them just for the insight they can give us about how, despite his “success” as a religious leader who helped millions, Padre Pio endured a high degree of suffering?

The bottom line is that if you are looking for a feel-good movie about how and why Padre Pio was extraordinary and beloved, you might look elsewhere. You may, however, receive a different insight into the meaning of suffering and a strange sense of kinship with the saint who was formed by his own suffering.

Shia’s journey to Catholicism

Shia LaBeouf’s journey to Catholicism is both well-documented and surprising. The best starting point to understand his frame of mind as he began filming “Padre Pio” is the interview he did with Bishop Barron last fall, “Shia LaBeouf – Padre Pio and the Friars.”

In the interview, he documents where he was in his personal life as the film-making began. By that point, Shia had already spent time in rehab, was in the news for accusations of abuse by former girlfriends, was not on speaking terms with his mother, and, by his own admission, was consumed by own arrogance and self-absorption. He was, as he put it, “nuclear.” Certainly, no one in Hollywood wanted to work with him.

Director Abel Ferrera, however, saw something in Shia. They met during a virtual support group for recovering addicts. When Abel offered Shia the opportunity to play Padre Pio, Shia saw it as an opportunity to redeem himself in Hollywood. Instead, as he spent time with the Capuchins who prepared him for the role and learned more about Padre Pio, the Gospels, unconditional love, and community, Shia fell in love with Christ. As Church Pop reported, he is now months away from completing RCIA.

What to take away from “Padre Pio”

Shia LaBeouf has experienced more by his mid-30s than most people will in their entire lives. Fame, riches, scrutiny by the media of his every action and personal life, substance abuse, mental instability – and, finally, a form of peace. This movie is not just about Padre Pio; it is about the redemptive nature of suffering, the very real nature of evil and temptation, and the forgiving love of God for all of us sinners. Shia happens to be the vehicle by which this truth is communicated. With the proper context, you see Pio’s suffering as Shia’s own. 

I asked Shia what his relationship with Padre Pio is now. “I pray to him daily,” he said. “While he’s not my father, he’s watching the door, he’s guarding the gate, he’s my guy. Any time I’m ever nervous, it’s because I’m not close to him. I pray to him every night…you know, he hangs above my baby’s crib.”

As for being a Catholic in Hollywood, Shia says he tries to bring the gospel on set, and is helped by the presence of his Capuchin friends, who often accompany him.

May we all rely on this blessed saint, who continues to bring miracles of conversion into this world. May we also pray for Shia LaBeouf’s continued faith journey as a Catholic, for the conversion of Hollywood, and for an increase in faithful directors and actors who will bring the truth and beauty of the faith to the big screen.