reviewed by Charity Bishop
     

I had never heard of this film before but when I saw the haunting cover image of a child's face in the distance and a priest walking a lonely road in front, I knew I had to pull it off the library shelf.

When it comes time for the Church to close small parishes in dwindling communities, there is none better to call on than the unfeeling Father Jonathan (David Wall), who takes his work seriously and refuses to allow pleas to sway his opinions. Arriving a few weeks before Christmas in a snowy New England town, he encounters a young woman when stepping off the bus. Marjorie (Kerry Wall) makes quite an impression on him, though he does not know why, and he assumes they will never see one another again. Following the lonely road into town and eventually finding his way into the local pub, there he discovers the parish priest, Father Simon (Brennan) having a beer with his friends. Simon and Jonathan attended seminary together and the same old prejudices and arguments that have plagued their relationship from the start are still in place: Simon believes Jonathan is too rigid and cold, and Jonathan believes Simon is not reverent enough.

Normally, Father Jonathan would close down the dying congregation without a second glance but Father Simon's passion for his flock and his insistence that the church will recover causes him to temporarily stay his hand. In an attempt to bring more people from the community into the church, the priests attempt to organize a live nativity. Left with a limited amount of actors to choose from and none of them under the age of sixty, Father Jonathan wants nothing more than to recruit the lovely young woman he met at the bus stop to play Mary. But Marjory Worthington (Kerry Wall) is not interested. The same cannot be said for Father Jonathan and we soon learn through a series of incidents the reason for his emotional distance and cold heart. The result is a touching movie but not one without its faults. It was written, directed, produced and starred in by David Wall and as such, as a more meager production suffers from wooden performances -- but they are better than most in these types of productions and the quality of the film itself is very good. It is shot in widescreen and has not only beautiful scenes and lighting, but also a wonderful and original musical score.

There is a prevalent pro-life message included as the story turns toward the concept and consequences of abortion. One woman considers aborting her child while another character confesses to having participated in an abortion and being haunted by tremendous guilt. Inevitably, this individual is forgiven by the form of their child, who appears now and again as a reminder of what the person might have had if they had chosen differently. The child is where the name of the film comes from -- Noelle. There is of course a happy ending but also one that is controversial due to its rejection of traditional Catholic beliefs. Several poignant conversations about faith and callings are thought-provoking and redemption is a theme that carries to the film's final moments but I am also sorry to say that Noelle has subtle but prevalent anti-Catholicism. Throughout, their beliefs are questioned and challenged, often by the priests -- the Church is accused of being uncaring and money-driven, one priest implies he does not believe in celibacy, another scolds his associate for wanting to pray more than anything, and there is a preposterous theory posed to the extent of God fell in love with Mary and because of her, decided to give humanity a second chance. Priests run out in the middle of Mass on two occasions and the sacraments are left unattended (though, for a good reason). The sanctity of confession is broken on two separate occasions. Both priests consider departing from the faith and getting married -- one of them reveals that he never wanted to become a priest and has no passion for it. He becomes a happy father and husband, marrying a woman who flat out denies her belief in the virgin birth.

I thought the plot was clever and it became truly touching near the end but I also felt it was disrespectful in its approach to the material, which could have been toned down more to appeal to a wider audience. Priests are human and this film explores that but it also fails to acknowledge the true, lasting devotion and love many priests feel not only toward their flock but also their Savior. That aside, there is some mild content -- implications of extra-marital pregnancies and a man cheating on his fiancée with another woman. Delicate references are made to abortion. Two men get into a fistfight. There are a handful of mild profanities and abuses of deity. I was also surprised with the large amount of social drinking that goes on; Father Simon is accused of being an "alcoholic," something his good-natured parishioners dismiss. ("So he drinks a little... so what?") There are some great comical moments her and there as the living nativity struggles to come to life and the film has a delightful sense of quirkiness, but those whom it might offend would do well to keep Noelle at a distance.