'Mother Teresa & Me' movie depicts Catholic saint's struggles with doubt about her faith

By Jeannie Ortega Law, Christian Post Reporter Friday, September 01, 2023

Actress Jacqueline Fritschi-Cornaz in a scene portraying “Mother Teresa & Me” coming to theaters October 5, 2023. | Fathom

A highly acclaimed movie about Mother Teresa will soon be in select theaters nationwide and depicts a time in the revered Catholic saint's life when she struggled with intense doubts about her faith.

“Mother Teresa & Me," which won the “Best Film Award” at the Mirabile Dictu International Film Festival in Rome, Italy, will be shown on Sept. 5 during the United Nations' International Day of Charity commemoration and released in theaters across the United States on Oct. 5 through Fathom Events.

Directed by Kamal Musale, the film follows a young pregnant woman named Kavita who travels to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, after being abandoned by her boyfriend and finds solace in learning about the life of Mother Teresa.

Kavita, who is undecided about whether she wants to carry her baby to term or seek an abortion, learns of Mother Teresa’s pro-life stance and is inspired by her example of perseverance and compassionate love while carrying the burdens of others.

Jacqueline Fritschi-Cornaz, who plays Mother Teresa, told The Christian Post that she was honored to play the role and didn't know until she researched for the part that Mother Teresa had "doubts and lost her faith" at one point.

Canonized by the Catholic Church in 2016, Mother Teresa had reportedly told her confessor about her crisis of faith, as recorded in letters released to the public in 2007, 10 years after her death.

“These letters really helped me to go down to all these dark moments and points as an actress to try to feel what she went through. Especially in this loneliness because she couldn't talk to the sisters. She always had to be the role model,” Fritschi-Cornaz added.

"She only had these moments with the confessors, who couldn't really help her. So I think that was very inspiring. The scriptwriter, director, producer and myself, we all said, 'That's really what we want to focus on in the stories in the film because that's inspiring for audiences that can really motivate them to stay with their own dreams and to keep on going.'"

The Swiss actress said she was inspired by Mother Teresa's life story.

"Through [the making of] this film and all the challenges, I learned that we are able to do so much more than we believe. We have so much more strength and it's worth believing in our dreams,” she told CP.

Fritschi-Cornaz contends that everyone, regardless of their beliefs, has many opportunities to change people's circumstances for the better.

“Mother Teresa finally had 5,000 sisters around the world without business courses, without internet, without the back office, just because she could inspire so many women, and I'm sure that God loves us all because we do so much in our societies,” Fritschi-Cornaz said.

Along with Fritschi-Cornaz, “Mother Teresa & Me” stars Banita Sandhu and Deepti Naval. The film was birthed 10 years ago following Fritschi-Cornaz’s trip to India, witnessing the caste system and interacting with those who are in a perpetual state of poverty.

Proceeds from the film will be donated to charitable organizations that work with abandoned children and the destitute and disabled.

Tickets are now available at participating theater box offices.