Shia LaBeouf, a Catholic convert, stars as St. Padre Pio in a new movie available for public viewing starting June 2.
The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2022 and played again at the Mammoth Film Festival in early March 2023, features a subplot about the rise of fascism in Italy and the 1920 massacre of 14 people in the village of San Giovanni Rotondo near the monastery where Padre Pio lived.
Abel Ferrara, the film’s director, said the Church officials and Capuchin friars supported the film despite his having produced pornography and extremely violent films early in his career.
Shia LaBeouf and Brother Alexander Rodriguez, a real Franciscan friar who appear in the film, are close friends in real life.
LaBeouf spent four months living with Capuchin friars while preparing for the film, and his portrayal of Padre Pio led him to a love of the Catholic faith.
He was agnostic before finding God and has since become devoted to the rosary and the Traditional Latin Mass.
It is not clear whether the film will be released in theaters and through streaming services.
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