Angel Studios' Cabrini Premieres on New York Red Carpet with Astounding Feedback and Positivity

Let me just say that when seeing the initial promo material for this picture, and from seeing that it was made by Monteverde, I knew this film would be amazing! I was not disappointed in the reaction I am seeing from the fellow Angel Studios fans that have seen the film already! I even saw numerous conservative political commentators giving this film absolutely rave reviews on social media.

So, it begins!

Cabrini debuts in theaters tomorrow, March 8th, all around the country! Go here for tickets, and go here for more information!

You can see here that I foresaw this happening in a past article from last year. So how did I call it so far in advance? I'll let you know...

Three observations one must notice when they look into seeing a new film, and in judging if the film is worth seeing.

1. Marketing
2. Key Players
3. Craftsmanship

The marketing certainly has its benefits but I can see some mistakes from my perspective. Marketing is one of the biggest places people make faux pas and so one must also take it worth a grain of salt to some degree, but I will get into that more later.

So we will discuss the other two factors mostly, which are the two things that helped me the most in determining if this will be a success or not: Key Players and Craftsmanship.

If you take note of who your directors are (sometimes producers, as well) when you see a great film, you'll be able to get acquainted with who your favorite or your high-potential filmmakers are, currently. Any director can have a lucky break every now and then (maybe they didn't actually edit the film, or have final cut), especially early in their career, which is why I say "high-potential filmmakers." After seeing their second film, a young director really starts to get their sea legs, and you really start to see them for who they really are.

In any case, learn who they are. Make a list. These are the directors that, if you hear they are making a film, you know that this film will likely be of similar quality to the one you saw earlier and really enjoyed! You can really start appreciating great film as you watch certain key directors (and key players required to make a good film) performing at their full potential!

I say "Key Players" (not just directors) because the same rules apply to actors whose performances really tend to impress you. One example of this that happened recently for me is the lead actor in the faith-based horror Nefarious. Sean Patrick Flanary made such an exemplary performance when he played the demon-possessed killer on death row that it made any other cheesy moments (that may have been in the film) disappear.

Craftsmanship is the other consideration that is key when first noticing what your favorite films are. Craftsmanship is not about some fun concept or novel idea that you enjoyed in the film (which typically comes from the script). It is the consistency of quality images, sound, framing, color, lighting, costume, set design, tone, and immersion of storytelling (using cinematic language) that sucked you into the film. It made you beg and ask for more.

The visual aesthetic or the editing prowess of a film can really be free to come out when a film was made with craftsmanship. The craftsmanship is almost always a product of experts being involved during production stage of making a film (the actual on-set filming). So, when you see this you are witnessing a refined filmmaking team working at their fullest potential.

As a filmmaker, myself, watching this occur is beautiful and inspiring, to say the least. You feel honored just to be there when these craftsmen show up and offer you their best. These are the people who are the backbone of Hollywood. Without them Hollywood would collapse in mere moments. The celebrities would mean nothing whatsoever and their Hollywood directors & producers could whine all they want but without this crew they'd end up making us pig swill.

So to make a long-story short, I knew Monteverde was a great director after seeing Bella and seeing Sound of Freedom. His craftsmanship can be seen even just in his trailers. He is immune to ugly images, as though he refuses to allow one ugly image in his final edits. I love this sort of director.

Then when you see the performances he elicits from his actors, you can see that he also has a low tolerance for bad performances. Bella, by itself, reveals this. Good directors need to have a very low tolerance for awkward imagery, under-lighting or over-lighting, wooden performances, and many other subpar elements that can often sneak into faith-based films, still to this day.

But not on a Monteverde picture.

After seeing the imagery for the marketing material of Cabrini months ago on the Angel site, I was hooked. You can read my glowing article here. But in many ways I had to ignore the marketing. Let me explain.

I think if there is one mistake that Hollywood makes it is to make political statements or to engage too much into the clickbait version of outrage farming which our modern times engages with far too much (especially in this age of social media).

The problem is not that a filmmaker or a studio is not allowed to engage in politics, either in their messaging or in their storytelling, but that the marketing for a film can often limit itself too much in the demographics it is appealing to. And not only this, but this can appear to go far beyond an appeal to your audience. It starts to look like pandering to an audience and even an exclusionary approach. So, if one does this, it may make you, as a filmmaker, look petty or even hateful when we engage in this kind of marketing.

I am not saying that Angel Studios engages in this political drama farming at all, but that today, in the news media, this has often been standard practice to do so. So, we may feel obligated or encouraged to feel like we can do this since others do it. After all, we are competing in this same marketplace and trying to get engagement potentially alongside actual clickbait articles. How will we compete? Doing it may really get us more engagement, since we already know, statistically, that hate gets more clicks than kindness or inspiration.

So, I'd implore filmmakers and conservative creators to not compromise your faith or your principles for the sake of clicks. If you do it may feel like you don't belong within the conservative or faith-based market, and instead the "product" (which may now appear to be more like propaganda) may belong with any standard Netflix or Disney product.

If we lose our saltiness, we lose what makes us different.

So, when I look at this film, I see a film that does not need to lean into this sort of message. Inspiration is already there, aplenty. Cabrini was there to show love, and not hatred towards any Americans or the non-Christians in her life. The obstacles in her life typically had to do with her frail health, her poverty, and her immigrant status, and not her womanhood. But some of the marketing indicates that she was a feminist. A feminist message may be mostly acceptable today, in our culture, but in ten years or longer, it may come off as pandering or too political. Maybe even tone deaf.

Have you ever seen a classic film that spoke about momentary political issues of that day? They don't tend to age well. But the ones that are timeless do not feel the need to do this.

I'm sure many may disregard or be revolted by my observation and warning to abstain from the politics, and they may even accuse me of being political just by mentioning it. But, I do think that this issue is likely relegated solely to the marketing messages, and not the film itself. Messages which are meant to bring in viewers to see an Angel film for the first time. This may be the right way to do it, in telling women to achieve more in the workforce and to be their own bosses, but my warning is just a caution to refrain from leaning in too much to prevent from turning her story into a political statement. Truth be told, we don't need to do it, and maybe it's best not to do it, but I can understand doing this in some cases, especially when the film is purely a political film of its time, by it's very nature.

For example, the lead actress gives her feminist message, here.

Ok well, enough of that. Sheesh.

Let's see what people are saying about the actual film, though. This is what I actually get excited about most, for this film, since I actually think this could end up being one of the best films of the year!

Some compare this film to The Godfather, not because of the Italian themes, or caring for your own, but because of the incredible craftsmanship that goes into this film. They literally say it is a masterpiece, and that had it not been made by Angel Studios, it would win Best Picture at the Oscars!

Some interviews with MovieGuide.

Here is an exclusive first look of the film to see before you go to watch the film in theaters.

I really pray it remains "good cinema" at the end of the day and not what some might see it as... a film for feminists. Angel Studios is a ray of hope to so many, and my continued hope is that they remain an effective amplifier of light, beauty, and goodness, and not just like any other Hollywood work.

Stand apart! Don't compromise your values to Hollywood or to the marketing machine! Accurately represent what your film is truly about!

I suspect that with so many of the conservative commentators reviewing this film as a masterpiece, that the film itself truly portrays itself as the humanitarian and loving message that it is, and that Cabrini's life was accurately represented in the film itself! This is why I am seeing it as soon as possible!

The film comes to theaters around the country tomorrow, March 8th! Get your tickets at theaters or at Angel.com/tickets. You can Pay It Forward or claim a free ticket to Cabrini here.

Did you enjoy this article on Cabrini's red carpet premiere and their debut in theaters? Are you planning to see the film? Tell us your thoughts down below (with subscription) or on our socials!