Destiny Films

Right from the start, it’s clear that Stephen Bradley’s Noble is not a small nor subtle depiction of Christina Noble, the Irishwoman who has devoted her life to helping orphaned and abandoned children in Southeast Asia. The score’s swelling strings and the characters’ obvious intentions create an old-fashioned TV-movie vibe. Yet, this film version of Noble’s (literally) incredible story packs a significant punch anyway, due to strong acting, beautiful cinematography and the palpable spirit of its indomitable subject.

Early in the film, we see Christina as a child (played by the wonderfully sharp Gloria Cramer Curtis) singing in a pub in 1955 Dublin; her Dickensian childhood is marked by a charming but drunkenly abusive father and gravely sick mother, along with a brood of equally destitute siblings. Christina prays fervently in church for things to get better, to no avail; a theme that will recur many times throughout the movie.

Next we see grownup Christina (Deirdre O’Kane) arriving in Ho Chi Minh City in 1989, walking around and taking in the sights, which include many impoverished street children whose plight she relates to and resolves to alleviate. She has an easy way with people, singing for government officials and joking around with a sourpuss hotel receptionist who we know will become an ally by the end of the film. Soon she begins caring for local street urchins, obtains a temporary work visa, and struggles to raise money for a social and medical center for these kids and their families.

Destiny Films

The movie juxtaposes Christina’s difficult youth and young adulthood in Ireland and England with her later years in Vietnam. We learn that she grew up rebellious in a Catholic orphanage; later, she finds work and friendship in a laundry, and briefly reunites with her father. The excellent Sarah Greene plays teenage/young adult Christina, who suffers a series of horrendous setbacks – including a stay at an awful nun-run home for wayward teenage girls — that would have crushed most mortals. Somehow she remains optimistic, even as she repeatedly challenges God about his intentions. In Ho Chi Minh City, nothing aside from her obvious affinity for children comes easy, but Christina refuses to give up on her goals and eventually, of course, gets what she needs.

Toward the end of the movie, we find out what brought her to Southeast Asia: a dream she had during the Vietnam War, when images of napalm-burned children and destroyed villages were all over newspapers and television. In a movie filled with clearly explained motives, we don’t understand exactly how the dream leads to her journey, but we do see a woman almost defeated by her own life recognizing the suffering of others in the world.

If Noble isn’t the most artfully crafted film, it still ably tells the story of a most remarkable woman whose organization, the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, has given aid to over 700,000 children and families in Vietnam and Mongolia. For that alone, it’s an admirable achievement.

Noble opens today in NYC at Regal Union Square and AMC Empire 25.

Local Film Fests

In case anyone still hasn’t realized that Kings County is the center of the universe, there’s the Fifth Annual Art of Brooklyn Film Fest, running May 13 through 17. Billed as “The only festival in the world that’s all about Brooklyn-born, Brooklyn-based and Brooklyn-centric independent film,” the event is admirable for its inclusiveness; films and filmmakers aren’t necessarily coming out of typical “creative” neighborhoods. This year, AoBFF will screen 53 films across all genres, including 15 world premieres, in Brooklyn Heights, Sunset Park and Bay Ridge.

Another local festival of note is New Jersey’s Montclair Film Festival, which is running through May 10. The four-year old fest has grown this year from a week to 10 days and includes more than 100 films and events. It boasts an impressively diverse lineup including Sundance and SXSW hits, documentaries by local filmmakers, and high profile guests such as actor Richard Gere and director Jonathan Demme.

—Marina Zogbi