Noomi Rapace becomes mother Teresa

A biopic devoted to the missionary of Calcutta, which will be released at the end of the year at the cinema in France.

It is a new shocking role for the Swedish actress.

Noomi Rapace puts itself under the veil of Mother Teresa in Mothera large uncompromising biopic on the famous canonized nun, Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

The Venice Festival will host the world first of Mother This weekend and we discover the first images.

Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska tells in Variety how she dared to tackle a figure as universal as they are controversial.

“It was essential to show his humanity, and not his greatness. Jealousy, desire, anger. How can we be good if we do not know evil? We accept that directors like Alexandre Sokourov do their ‘tetralogy of power’ on Hitler or Lenin. But as soon as they are women … Even I remain trapped in what I am supposed to represent. “

Known for God exists, his name is PetranyaStrugar Mitevska had already signed a documentary fifteen years ago, Teresa and I.

Native of Skopje in Albania as Mother Teresa, she says she grew up with her inheritance: “We were able to question four nuns who knew her. One of them told us: ‘She entered my office, moved the furniture and said that tomorrow, she was going to the Philippines.’ I discovered a kind of wood robin, a CEO, unrelated to the fragile image that we keep of it. ”

The choice of Noomi Rapace, former star of Milliniumcame quite naturally:

“Teresa did not respect the rules, she laughed at it. She was punk! When I met Noomi, who releases the same energy, it became urgent. For me, all this is linked to freedom: freedom of being yourself. It is my personal path, but also my message to women: dare to act.”

The film takes place in 1948, over a period of seven days. In Kolkata, Teresa, then superior of the convent of the Lorette sisters, is thinking of leaving the monastery to found a new order. But her possible heiress, the Polish sister Agnieszka (interpreted by Sylvia Hoeks), hides a heavy secret: she must refuse this proposal because she is pregnant with the fruit of a brief romantic relationship. And precisely, beyond the myth, Strugar Mitevska does not bypass the shadow areas of Mother Teresa and her positions against contraception and abortion: “I took a long time to understand that it was the product of an era and a particular environment. She was a Catholic nun. It is important to talk about it today because, for me, abortion is a fundamental human right. Going back reminds us of the progress made and those that should not be lost. ”

The director insists: “There was a lot of negativity around her, and that intrigued me. It is always easy to demonize a woman. Despite all the controversies, I discovered a feminist icon.»

Mother will be released on December 10, 2025 in France in the cinema.