“FASCINATING AND SPIRITUALLY POWERFUL”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
The new Spanish documentary LIBRES (or “FREE”) offers a fascinating, spiritually powerful look at the devout lives of nuns and monks at some of the world’s 2,500 cloistered communities. The interview subjects largely focus on what drew them away from their past lives, and their decision to change their life paths. One nun joined her community after her husband died, while a monk describes how he came to his monastery after splitting with his wife, yet says his new direction strengthened their friendship. FREE’s interview subjects chose to remain anonymous, but the credits reveal the filmmakers traveled to a dozen locations, mostly in Spain.
FREE attracts viewers with a fascinating look at people who follow the path Jesus took in spending periods of solitude in the Gospels. The touching profound interviews are complemented by beautiful cinematography. The camera soulfully explores life within these communities as well as shows viewers stunning shots of the fields of nature and cascading
oceans surrounding them. The interviews are in Spanish but expertly subtitled. FREE focuses on Roman Catholic communities, but non-Catholics also can enjoy the movie.
CONTENT:
(CCC, BBB, M)
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:
Very strong Christian, biblical, moral worldview from a Roman Catholic perspective, but Non-Catholics can also enjoy the movie, plus movie shows faith and prayer can overcome Satanism, occultism and other evils
Foul Language:
No foul language
Violence:
No violence
Sex:
No sex
Nudity:
No nudity
Alcohol Use:
No alcohol use, except during communion in church
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:
No smoking or drugs; and,
Miscellaneous Immorality:
One monk discusses his teenage past embrace of Satanism and the occult, but movingly discusses how his mother’s unceasing prayers resulted in a miraculous conversion and that he devotes his life as a monk to atone for his past occultism.
MORE DETAIL:
The new Spanish documentary LIBRES, or FREE, is playing on Fathom Events for a one-night-only nationwide theatrical screening at 700 theatres on Thursday Nov. 2, 2023. It offers a fascinating and spiritually powerful look at the intensely devout lives of nuns and monks at some of the 2,500 cloistered communities worldwide.
A cloistered community entails that the Roman Catholic nuns and monks behind their walls live lives where they have almost completely chosen to cut themselves off from the outside world and their past secular lives in order to pursue a relationship with Christ in solitude, prayer and meditation. Yet, the movie also shows the joyful social hours these communities have amongst themselves, including lots of singalongs and choir songs.
While this might seem daunting or unusual to many, even among Christians, the documentary attracts viewers with an intensely fascinating look at people who follow the path Jesus took in spending periods of 40 days of solitude in the Gospels. The touching and often profound interviews are complemented by beautiful cinematography that soulfully explores life within these communities as well as shows stunning shots of the fields of nature and cascading oceans surrounding them.
FREE’s interview subjects chose to remain anonymous and uncredited in the movie, but the credits reveal that the filmmaking team traveled to a dozen locations, mostly in Spain. The interviews are all in Spanish but expertly subtitled.
The interview subjects largely focus on what drew them away from their past lives, and their decision to change their life paths. One nun joined her community after her husband died, while a monk describes how he came to his monastery after splitting with his wife yet says his new direction in life strengthened their friendship.
Perhaps the most compelling and touching of these stories comes from a young man who recounts that he spent his teenage years embracing occultism and Satan. He cries as he speaks of the fact his mother prayed unceasingly for his salvation, and how one day he was hit by a powerful sense of warmth and was released from the occult stranglehold he endured.
FREE focuses on these Roman Catholic communities and features a few scenes depicting the Eucharistic devotion the people share, placing enormous beauty and importance on the Catholic version of holy communion. That said, non-Catholics can enjoy the majority of the movie. In our times of turmoil, we could all use a strong dose of spiritual uplift, and FREE delivers that wholeheartedly.
FREE has a stately, meditative pace. So, it will likely appeal far more to adults than children or teenagers. However, its complete lack of immoral content and strong Christian worldview makes FREE a perfectly acceptable movie for media-wise families with children and grandchildren.
