MovieChat Forums > Household Saints (1993) Discussion > Well done but I'd be profoundly skeptica...

Well done but I'd be profoundly skeptical of Teresa being a 'saint'


I'm not an expert on the subject of saints or schizophrenics. But in the case of the protagonist of this film, I'd definitely say it was the latter. I think it all comes down to this. Seeing "Jesus" did not do Teresa any good. Quite the contrary, she subsequently had a complete break with reality (I found the scene where we saw her kissing her crucifix profoundly creepy) and then she up and died.

I used to be a devout Catholic and I'm not really that any more (although I won't call myself a "recovering Catholic"). But everything I've been taught about the nature of God (Jesus in particular) is that seeing God would not have a destructive impact on a young woman's life. I think a real saint who really did see God would be inspired to go out and live and do good, not quickly die at a young age and leave her parents and family bereaved.

This said, it's a very moving film at times and I think Lili Taylor did a wonderful job in the role.

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