'Mother Teresa & Me' and the silence between faith and doubt

There's something poetic about the timing of the film "Mother Teresa & Me" opening exclusively at Gateway Cineplex 18 this Holy Week. Its theatrical screening began on Holy Wednesday, April 16, and takes a pause today on Maundy Thursday and tomorrow, Good Friday, in observance of the solemn days, then resumes on Black Saturday, April 19. Somehow, this in-between seems intentional, echoing a long silence among the faithful as they reflect on the immense suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for their sins, and when, after the stroke of three on Good Friday, the world, briefly without its Savior, sits in the ache of waiting for his resurrection and ultimately its salvation.

Silence, as it turns out, is one of "Mother Teresa & Me's" most compelling themes. Written and directed by Kamal Musale, this religious film brings together two women's stories across different timelines — one historical, the other fictional but achingly familiar.

British-Indian actress Banita Sandhu plays Kavita, a young Londoner who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and abandoned by her partner. Lost, confused, and deeply alone, she flees to Kolkata and into the care of her childhood nanny, Deepali, played with gentle grace by Deepti Naval.

Through Deepali's recollections, Kavita is introduced to the story of Mother Teresa, portrayed by Swiss actress and producer Jacqueline Fritschi-Cornaz. However, viewers should not expect to see the canonized saint's well-known narrative unfold. Instead, the film dives deep into the hidden, haunting parts of the modern-day saint's journey, often unheard of.

Based on real-life letters and accounts of those closest to Mother Teresa, the movie presents a woman who spent decades grappling with spiritual desolation despite her towering service to the poorest of the poor. "Where is my faith?" she once surprisingly wrote. "Even deep down... there is nothing but emptiness and darkness."

It's this darkness that director Musale chooses to explore as this lesser-known story unfolds — not to diminish Mother Teresa's sanctity but to reveal its human cost.

"She was not a saint with superpowers," Fritschi-Cornaz shared in an interview with Catholic News Agency. "She had to go through the same struggles, the same difficulties, the same despair and abandonment."

To prepare for the role, the actress not only read Mother Teresa's private letters, but also volunteered at Shishu Bhavan, one of the homes for abandoned children founded by the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata. She also visited the saint's birthplace in Skopje, North Macedonia, where her relatives gifted her a cross she would wear during filming — a quiet but meaningful connection between legacy and portrayal.

As for the fictional character Kavita, she was created to represent the modern woman for whom organized religion may still be alienating but continues to search for something to hold on to. As she unearths Mother Teresa's story and sees how someone who felt so distant from God still chose to serve Him and others, she begins to find clarity and courage in her own life.

This arc of connection is what gives "Mother Teresa & Me" its emotional weight. It's not just a biopic but a meditation on loneliness, doubt and the spaces between prayers when no answers come.

"Mother Teresa & Me" received the Best Film Award at the Mirabile Dictu International Film Festival in Rome. Its US premiere was held in New York at the United Nations on the International Day of Charity, established by the UN to commemorate the anniversary of the passing of Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"Mother Teresa & Me" is distributed in the Philippines by Crystal Sky Entertainment and resumes screening on Black Saturday.

* * *

Sources: Excerpts from the book "Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta;" and research from interviews and articles published by the Catholic News Agency, National Catholic Register and ACI Africa.