'Noble' Review: Film Shows How God Uses Imperfect People to Achieve Great Purposes
"Noble" tells the story of Irish children's rights activist Christina Noble and jumps around to different parts of her life including childhood, teenage years, young adulthood, and adulthood to reveal the journey that led to her groundbreaking work in Vietnam where she provided healthcare, education and protection for more than 700,000 children and their families.
The film features three different actresses portraying Noble with Deirdre O'Kane playing the elder Noble, and does a wonderful job of communicating the no nonsense attitude developed by her younger self who never seemed to catch a break.
Noble's alcoholic father couldn't take care of her family so she was sent to a school run by nuns when she was a child. During her teenage years she's gang raped and left pregnant. She delivers the child and the baby was ripped away from her by the nuns who were supposed to be looking out for her. A relationship with an abusive adulterous husband followed, but all these experiences led Noble to make sure other children didn't have to suffer a similar fate.
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After conversations with God and a recurring dream, Noble is led to Vietnam to change the lives of many.
Director/writer Stephen Bradley tells Noble's story in a way that directly relates her experiences to the work that she does. It starts rather slow and gradually builds to the grand accomplishments of this woman. When Noble finally receives support for the centers she opens up in Vietnam, it feels like a giant payoff for the hardships the audience suffers through with her during the film.
The film avoids unnecessary gratuitousness, but at the same time shows the rough neck nature and attitude of Noble, who has been described by O'Kane in interviews as a "smoking, swearing answer to Mother Theresa." Her journey from hopeful little girl to fearless activist is paced extremely well and "Noble" works as a great example of how experiences shape the character of a person.
"Penny Dreadful's" Sarah Green's portrayal of Noble as a teenager and young adult is honest and impactful. The actress does a great job of portraying a feisty girl who takes her bumps but is resilient despite the hell that has become her life. The three girls playing Noble, which also include child actress Gloria Cramer Curtis, take up most of the screen time, but all three complement each other well.
"Noble" takes a risk by taking time to build toward Noble's work as an activist, which could end up losing some impatient viewers, but if you stick with it, this film delivers. One of the other downsides to it is that it focuses more on her life growing up than what she accomplishes for children in Vietnam. It would be nice to see a sequel that shows us more of the work she has done.
Faith plays a significant but small role in "Noble." She's a Catholic who's not afraid to make demands to God. Her relationship with her maker seems honest and relatable. It also fits her journey as she's someone who has lead a life that is anything but conventional. She talks to God and he answers by giving her a calling and sustaining her through all the turmoil in her life.
Lastly, "Noble" does a great job of showing that God uses imperfect people for great purposes.
