Absolution

Bettina Lloyd (Samantha Mathis) is a magazine writer in NYC. Her dissatisfied editor sends her home to Grandville, Ohio where her comatose first-love Paolo Toratelli is presumed to be performing miracles with the guidance of his mother Maria. The Catholic church is investigating with idealistic young priest Father Flannagan. Bettina has been distant from her religious mother and her father who only wants grandkids. Her little brother Ben is the assistant coach at school. Father Paul Montoya is the local senior priest. Bettina is told her mother is dying and she is forced to confront a dark past.

This is a religious faith-based movie treated like a sincere Lifetime movie. I like the idea of dealing with the subject matter with this sensibility. It's also a lot of personal melodrama. The production is TV movie level but it's elevated by some solid actors. It may strike disbelievers the wrong way. For most others, I think this would be a compelling story.