A New Film: “SAINT”, Teresa of Ávila

By Coco Blignaut

Rosarium Films is Making a Film About Saint Teresa of ÁVILA

Our film, SAINT is an independent, intimate, character-driven film about the Spanish Renaissance Saint – Teresa of Avila, a fierce leader, eloquent writer and letrada, a reformer of the Carmelites, and most importantly, a mystic – one who conversed intimately with God, and had a profound relationship with her Beloved Jesus.

Saint Teresa had that mysterious quality the Spanish call “duende”, which is characteristic of  gypsies, flamenco guitarists, and dancers. “Duende” is raw, primitive, tempestuous energy, a  vulnerability to inspiration burning in the blood. She was fiery, wild, and utterly original (Tessa Bielecki – Carmelite Nun & Author of Holy Daring).

How will the film look?

Spirited, raw, and triumphant, with larger-than-life characters in intimate settings against the backdrop of dramatic landscapes. We see the film as earthy, simple, stripped, covered in a layer of dust, like a spaghetti western, but with nuns instead of guns.

What is the budget?

A low-budget independent film ($3 million) that forces the film crew to be highly creative and rely mostly on our wit, grit, and powerful prayer! We have a very experienced team and a Grammy-award-winning composer, the fiery virtuoso, Lili Haydn.

Why are we creating it?

Saint Teresa of Avila is a woman who speaks powerfully through the ages – 500 years plus to be exact. Her story is still extremely relevant today. How does the fragile human connect with the all-powerful Divine within, and how does it transform this human, and allow her to soar?

The Story and Setting of SAINT: 

16th century Spain, gilded and opulent in her Renaissance garments. A charismatic Spanish nun,  Saint Teresa of Ávila, surrounded by incredible beauty – lofty architecture, majestic cathedrals,  larger-than-life paintings, marble statues, golden crucifixion. She could easily have lived her life in relative comfort in a convent, enjoying the company of other nuns from wealthy backgrounds, sewing, gossiping, and praying occasionally.  

Yet, we find her in a simple brown robe and sandals traveling the countryside of Spain, in a  humble coach, through the snow, in the blazing heat of summer and through bitter cold nights,  enduring much suffering, hardship, poverty, and persecution. Hers is a mighty mission: obeying the voice of Christ. 

Sister Teresa experiences mysterious things – raptures, levitations, visits from Christ, attacks from demons. At age 44, she is pierced in the heart by an angel, as she recounts in her first book,  Libro de la Vida. (When they do an autopsy on her body after she dies, they find her heart has a  hole in. Five hundred years later, her heart is still on view at her convent in Alba, Spain).  

People are starting to follow Sister Teresa, revere her, and pray to her, but she is also accused of hysteria and heresy by the Inquisition and by non-believers. Libro de la Vida becomes a scandal,  a salacious piece of reading for royalty and Church alike. But she forges forward with holy daring to become a powerful leader of Reform within the Catholic Church, founding the  Discalced Carmelites – a shoeless, mystical group of nuns. Sister Teresa becomes a global bestselling author of several books on mysticism and a dangerous political woman who almost loses her life at the stake.  

She is an ecstatic. Frighteningly ablaze with passion. Yet, also very much a woman. A charmer. She loves to laugh, is a great conversationalist, likes to flirt with men, even with priests, and can eat a horse under the table. On her travels, one would see her play the tambourine and dance with gypsies around an open fire; then smoke some rolled tobacco! (Tobacco is brought over from the Indians in the New World, the Americas. It is used for medicinal purposes and is a rare treat!) 

Father John of the Cross

She meets Father John of the Cross, a small man physically, but with a giant intellect and big soul; he is a renowned scholar, a mystic, and an innocent. A monastic desert father, he becomes the perfect partner in her movement, her confidante, inspirer, a solace to the monastic desert mother that she is. Father John is a key figure in Sister Teresa’s life, and after his death, is declared a saint as well, due to his extraordinary ecstatic poetry, especially THE DARK NIGHT  OF THE SOUL, which becomes a crescendo moment in our film.

Princess of Eboli

Soon after Sister Teresa meets John of the Cross, enters the formidable Princess of Eboli – her husband the confidante to the king of Spain. She is stunning to look at, wears a leather eye patch,  has ten children, and many lovers. But there is one thing she does not have: a Sister Teresa convent.  

The Princess of Eboli offers Sister Teresa a building for a convent. She is fascinated and intrigued with the nun, and it turns into a raging obsession and jealousy. She asks to read Teresa’s  Libro de la Vida and shares it mockingly with her royal girlfriends. In her convent, she creates a  rift, insisting on having things run her way. She installs chandeliers and Persian carpets, which defy Sister Teresa’s austere approach to God. The drama escalates as the princess punishes the nuns with starvation for not obeying her, after which Teresa and her nuns escape during the night, abandoning the princess’s convent. Enraged, the powerful princess hands over Sister  Teresa’s scandalous book to the Inquisition, calling it heresy. 

The Grand Inquisitor

The Grand Inquisitor, a laser-sharp intellectual with a love of flowers, enters the scene. He reads  Libro de la Vida and is at the same time shocked and intrigued by it. Throughout the film we see him reading the book in private, as evidence against Sister Teresa builds. He eventually brings her in for questioning and we see a titanic clash of two minds! From here on, he will be persecuting her till the day she dies. 

Sister Teresa’s beloved friend and supporter, John of the Cross, a small angelic monk and poet extraordinaire, has been advocating on her behalf. Together, they write commentaries on the erotic Biblical book The Song of Songs. A dangerous move to make if you are already skating on thin ice. John of the Cross is imprisoned by his enemies, Los Carmelitos, where, in a dungeon, he writes his famous poem – The Dark Night of the Soul. They beat him so badly, that he is crippled for life. He has a vision of Mother Mary which gives him the strength to escape. After which he continues his fight to preserve Sister Teresa’s work. After his death, he too is declared a saint. 

Sister Teresa dies an old woman at 62, on her own terms, in her own bed, at her own convent in  Alba; after which, mysterious phenomena start to occur around her grave. Sighs and sounds are heard, and the strong scent of roses hangs in the air.  

Declared a Saint

The church decides to exhume her body, and finds it to be incorruptible! Perfectly preserved and fragrant.  

She is immediately declared a saint, and so the priests cut off her body parts and send them as relics to churches all over the world. Where they still are today. Where people find their faith over and over again, as they pray to her.

The Princess of Eboli is locked up in a tower by the king (her secret lover) for treason, until the day she dies. She receives a letter from Sister Teresa, a day after the saint’s death. It contains  Sister Teresa’s rosary and words, which awaken the Princess’s cold-hearted soul in a sublime way! 

And The Grand Inquisitor closes Sister Teresa’s book … He is in awe, quietly transformed.

Funds

We are currently raising very important seed funds to get our production made. The crowdfunding campaign can be seen here:

www.saintthefilm.com

We need our audience to stand up and join with us, by contributing and sharing our film! It is the way of the independent film.

We rely on you, as we have no studio backing us. The freedom in this, however, is that we have full creative control in how we want this film to look, sound, and be!

We invite investors and producers to reach out to us. Let’s get SAINT  made in 2022.

Blessed be the Great Saint Teresa, and Blessed be YOU!

Coco Blignaut

ROSARIUM FILMS