Power of Eucharist revealed on big screen

By Jean Gonzalez - Florida Catholic - Orlando

ORLANDO | More than 700 theaters across the United States will offer a single-day airing of a “simple” film that reveals the awesome power of the Eucharist.

“Alive: Who is There?” (“Vivo”) is a 90-minute documentary in which everyday Catholics reveal how the Eucharist transformed their lives. Produced and filmed across Spain by Hakuna Productions, three individuals and a married couple each offer their real-life faith journey in their native Spanish.

The heart of the film is to inspire viewers towards eucharistic revival. In a trailer about the film, the subjects express their journeys of longing, hope, regret, joy, happiness and surprise. As one subject stated, he learned “God was real and alive.”

“It is really a simple movie,” said Lucía González-Barandiarán, founder of Bosco Films. “The first time you watch it, it is an act of faith, because you don’t know what you are going to watch. But I’ve seen many people who watch the film for the first time, and then buy tickets the day after for friends and family to share the experience.”

González spoke with the Florida Catholic over Zoom from her home office in Madrid. She spoke about the origins of the movie, which goes back five years. The “father” of the film is Father Jose Pedro Manglano, founder of the Hakuna movement, which is associated with Hakuna Films, which produced the documentary. González explained Father Josepe (as he is called) wished to ignite the faith of young people through Eucharistic adoration.

“He is always thinking in new ways (to evangelize),” González reflected. “He is young in spirit and has crazy ideas.”

And he realized the atmosphere surrounding the adoration was critical to promote spiritual awakenings — involving music written by those gathered, lighting candles, being in nature because “God is alive in nature.”

What started with Father Josepe praying with 10 young people in adoration five years ago has grown to a movement involving 80,000.

“Europe is not a place where faith is very alive. Faith is almost dying,” González said. “This kind of adoration was powerful. In the case of Spain, it was not a revival because it didn’t really exist before. But Father Josepe watched what was happening in these celebrations and he knew that God is with the Eucharist. He wants to be here with us. And if God is with us, many things can change.”

As he witnessed the growth and journeys of so many, González recalled Father Josepe saying, “it would be nice if we could tell the world what was happening here.” And the concept of “Vivo” — “Alive” — as a documentary was born. Father Josepe said in a press release about the film, “one of the charisms of Hakuna is reaching the distant ones and one of the ways of reaching distant people is through movies.”

Bosco productions first released “Vivo” theatrically in Spain in April 2021, and it stayed in theaters for four months. González admitted its release in a theater, not a streaming service or online, was also an act of faith. It was during a pandemic, it had a first-time director, it had no advertising other than word of mouth and online, and it was going against blockbusters.

Yet, González said it met with success, financially and spiritually. The next step was going into 15 Latin countries of Central and South America. Again, it met with the same, if not better success.

Now, Bosco Films is partnering with Fathom Events to release the documentary in the United States for a one-day showing — April 25, the Monday after Divine Mercy Sunday. The timing of the release is intentional.

“It is after Easter when we celebrate how he is resurrected. Christ is alive,” González said.

More than 700 theaters — from indie movie houses to larger theaters, such as AMC, Cobb, Cinemark, Epic and Regal — are slated to show “Alive: Who is There?” Some 50 cities within Florida’s archdiocese and six dioceses are included in this release. The movie is filmed in Spanish with English subtitles.

González said the “simple” film’s success comes from the fact that it can resonate with so many audience members. She said the subjects in the documentary are ordinary people on ordinary journeys, but they are speaking about moments in their lives that audience members can understand. 

“The film includes a couple whose marriage within the faith was more out of tradition than devotion. There are young people who didn’t know what the Eucharist was,” González said, adding the commonality of their experience was finding something they didn’t expect while in Eucharistic adoration. “What happened in that moment changed their lives. God found a way to speak to everyone in their circumstances — whether they were suffering or not, whether they knew about Church or not. No matter, God found that moment to touch their hearts and say, ‘I am here, and I am alive.’”

The English release also includes bonus content featuring reflections from Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookstown, Minnesota, who serves as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis; and Pauline Sister Nancy Usselman, director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies. The extra content has a Florida connection with reflections from two priests from St. Thomas More in Boynton Beach, Diocese of Palm Beach — Father Julian Harris, pastor, and Father Alex Vargas, parochial vicar.

The film’s grassroots efforts continue, as there is no widespread advertising for the film. AliveTheMovement.com offers sharable resources, and González hopes supporters — individuals and parishes — will post ready-made memes and listings available at that site on their own social media.

“Audiences have the power to change the way of the industry and the kind of movies we are creating. If we go to watch (faith-filled films) in cinemas, I think platforms will notice. Buying a ticket to the theater is a way to inspire the industry to change.”

But the best reason to watch “Alive” is to find a personal Eucharistic revival, González said. With a cheeky smile, she admitted she really wanted to share a tidbit about the last story shared in the film, but quickly said, to herself as well as the interviewer, “No. No spoilers.”

“His is one of the most touching stories in the documentary,” she said of the former skinhead who had been to prison. “The ending, it is going to surprise you.”

WHERE TO SEE IT

“Alive” will be showing at the following South Florida theaters this Monday, April 25, 2022:

• Aventura, AMC Aventura 24, 19501 Biscayne Blvd., 7 p.m.
• Coral Springs, Regal Magnolia Place 16, 9645 Westview Drive, 7 p.m.
• Davie: Paragon Ridge 8, 9200 W. State Road 84, 7 p.m. & Paradise 24 & XD, 15601 Sheridan St., 7 p.m.
• Fort Lauderdale, Regal Cypress Creek, 6415 N. Andrews Ave., 7 p.m.
• Hollywood, Regal Oakwood, 2800 Oakwood Blvd., 7 p.m.
• Key West, Regal Cinema Key West 6, 3338 N Roosevelt Blvd., 7 p.m.
• Miami: Regal Falls 12, 9000 S.W. 136 St., 7 p.m. & Regal Southland Mall 16, 20505 S. Dixie Highway, 7 p.m.
• Miami Beach, Regal South Beach, 1120 Lincoln Road, 7 p.m.
• Pompano Beach, AMC Pompano Beach 18, 2315 N. Federal Hwy., 7 p.m.
• South Miami, AMC Sunset Place 24, 5701 Sunset Drive, 7 p.m.
• Sunrise, Regal Sawgrass 23, 2600 N.W. 136 Ave., 7 p.m.
• Find more cities at https://www.fathomevents.com/events/Alive-Who-Is-There.