St. Josemaria Escriva
Roland Joffe on Saint Josemaria Escriva
“Of all the characters in the movie, JosemarĂa is the only one that existed in history, the only one about whom there are plenty of records and evidence. I believe that the representation of JosemarĂa that we have in terms of his kind of lovingness, his sense of humour – which undoubtedly he had – was brought out by the events of his life and that it’s actually very close to who he really was. I wanted to find an honest viewpoint in portraying his character, and to take his faith at face value, as he did.
I suppose the convention with saints is to see them, in weird opposition to the whore with the heart of gold, as men with hearts of lead; but that’s just a comfortable convention. In fact JosemarĂa’s story is that of a man who goes through the extraordinary step of simplifying his life around a pure and powerful love for God. This love for God becomes an organizing principle that gives him a shape and a kind of simplicity and strength. But that doesn’t make him dull or flat, because this love existed in the real world, and the fruit of that existence in the real, often cruel, harsh world, must for any honest man be doubt: doubt in God and doubt in goodness. This doubt is deeply, profoundly, fertile.” [Zenit.org]
