Best movie of this year hands down!

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The Letters is a biographical film about Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta based on the letters of 50-year correspondence with her longtime friend and spiritual adviser,Father Celeste van Exem. It stars Juliet Stevenson as Mother Theresa together with Max von Sydow, Rutger Hauer and Priya Darshini.The story starts when Mother Teresa is honored to be a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for being one of the greatest humanitarians of our time.Millions are touched due to her selfless commitment that have changed their hearts and inspired them to be the extension of Christ's work particularly charity and helping the poor.Then a story is told from the point-of-view of Fr.Celeste who recounts her life from her work,how she started her own charity cause,the political oppression she experience in aiding the poor and her love for Christ.We could have been treated to a good film if there was more research done on Mother Teresa.Too bad that we just have the same information that is probably already known by many people around the world.Added to that,there is not much depth in too the characters as well.In the end,it simply became a watchable fare about the saint.

I was able to view this movie on Netflix streaming. Judging from the few reviews and few votes not many have seen it, compared to popular blockbusters.Many will not like it because they detest anything with a religious theme. But if we look past the fact that she was a Catholic nun, and discover what was in her heart, how can anyone not love her vocation?This film is presented as flashbacks starting in 1946 when Sister Mary Theresa was a nun and teacher in the convent in India. The story shown to us comes from the letters she wrote, which came to light only in the late 1990s as her life was being examined for possible sainthood.As she looks out her window she sees suffering in the streets. In 1946 on a train ride she says she received a message from God to serve the poor and outcast. She successfully petitioned the Archbishop and the Vatican for permission to work among the poor. She eventually petitioned for and was granted a new congregation and a new religious order. She became Mother Theresa, she trained many followers, she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.Juliet Stevenson is so good as Mother Teresa I soon put it past me that she was just an actress and I was able to fully appreciate who this Saint was.Edit: On Sept 4, 2016 the Pope declared Mother Teresa has been elevated to Sainthood.

Disclaimer: I was a small investor in this film (I was cold-called about the film 7 years ago when Bill Riead was in the early stages of making the movie, and decided it was a good project). So I have a small financial interest in this movie.I add that I am not catholic (nor even religious), and knew little about mother teresa before I saw this film, so I have no connection to the church, or mother teresa's particular cause.As to the movie, let me start by saying the movie is not a great piece of filmmaking, and has obvious flaws. For example, the narration is stiff and tiresome in places, and the script feels unsophisticated compared to what we're used to these days.ON THE OTHER HAND, despite its flaws, I found the movie to be quite powerful. I think the professional critics have really missed something here. I find it hard to believe that anyone could watch this movie and not be inspired by what this woman did, under the conditions that she did it. If you don't feel like crying at times, then you must have a hard heart. :-) The suffering of those people was off-scale, as was the personal sacrifice of mother teresa, who had to fight to be released from her cush job as a nun/teacher at a fancy girls school, to give her life to the poorest, sickest rejects of society. We should all be more like her.I also want to plug some of the acting: I thought Stevenson was strong (within the limitations of the script), but it was many of the Indian actors (previously unknown to me) who stood out as charismatic and excellent.Bottom line: lower your expectations as to the entertainment value of the film, and go see it for the way it will make you feel. And take your kids -- it's a very good message.

Greetings again from the darkness. All we need is one more miracle. Having been beatified with one "confirmed" miracle, it's that missing second one that stands between Mother Teresa and Sainthood. At times the film from director William Rilead plays like a highlight reel for Mother Teresa's induction into the Catholic Hall of Fame, as the dual emphasis is on all the good things she did for the poor, as well as the surprising sense of isolation and abandonment she felt most of her life.The film is structured in flashback form as a priest played by Rutger Hauer is charged with researching the case for canonizing the late Mother Teresa. He crosses paths with Father Celeste van Exem (Max von Sydow), who shares the saved correspondence from Mother Teresa that provides the title of the movie. These very personal letters spanned 50 years and act much as a journal of her work and emotions.Most of the movie takes us through the progression of Mother Teresa's life. A slump-shouldered Juliet Stevenson portrays the nun as a woman on a mission from God … despite the obstacles from her detractors: jealous and disapproving nuns, many in the Catholic Church, and even some of the local citizens whom she desired to help. Her commitment to assist "the poorest of the poor" placed her in some tough situations and undesirable environments. She seemed to take on the suffering of those she was serving.Given her proclamation that "It's God's will, not mine", the Vatican approved her plan to go outside the Loreto Order to serve the poor. Two years later, her application for a new order was approved, resulting in the congregation of The Missionaries of Charity. Her mission then had structure and backing, and so began to make real progress.Capturing the essence of this woman is what the film does best. We absolutely understand how she became "an icon of compassion for all religions" by giving "voice to the poor". Perhaps, given the times we are in, this ability to serve multiple religions could itself by considered a miracle. As with any person who serves others, Mother Teresa had (and has) her detractors and critics. She (like her Catholic Church) opposed contraception … despite the needs within the community she served. Others accused her of mismanaging the millions in contributions, and spending too much effort recruiting new Catholics. Again, those accusations are not the purpose of the film, which instead profiles a woman who helped so many who otherwise would have been ignored in their misery.As a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1979, her commitment to the cause resulted in her most public recognition and brought her full circle from an early line of dialogue: "I may not be wanted here, but I am needed." Regardless of the Catholic rule book requirements, it's difficult to imagine a modern day person more worthy of being considered a Saint.