A married couple, Sabrina and Steven J. Gunnel, have made a film about the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 350 years after the apparitions received by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in Paray-le-Monial. The 90-minute docudrama traces the history of the Sacred Heart Devotion through the centuries, right up to the present day.
The film has been very well received. Now in its third week of release, the film Sacré Cœur has racked up 74,688 ticket sales, according to figures provided by Saje Distribution to Aleteia. In a single day (Tuesday, October 21), 10,108 ticket sales were recorded throughout France.
Since its theatrical release on October 1, the film has racked up 195,023 ticket sales and could well reach 200,000 by Thursday.
The film will be shown in 347 French theaters this week, compared to only 155 when it was first released. Faced with long lines and growing demand, many theaters have finally added the film to their schedules.
This feature film alternates between passages from the life of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and contemporary testimonies of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Upon leaving the theaters, many viewers testified to a renewed faith, a desire for conversion, or simply a newfound peace.
“I realize that the film helps me better understand this prayer with the heart of Jesus laid bare, giving himself entirely out of love,” one of them told Aleteia.
The trailer (below, in French) gives an idea of the beautiful imagery and testimonies in the production.
Spreading awareness of devotion to the Heart of Jesus
Directed by Steven and Sabrina Gunnel and distributed by Saje Distribution, the film tells the story of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17th-century Visitation nun to whom Christ appeared to deliver devotion to His Heart burning with love for mankind.
In front of the camera, witnesses from all walks of life and all backgrounds testify to the power of this devotion in their lives. The film thus seeks to show the universality of the message of the Sacred Heart, which touches everyone in their own story. All states of life and all sensibilities within the Church are represented.
