Directed by Marco Pontecorvo in modern-day Portugal, Fatima follows an author and noted skeptic, Professor Nichols, played by Harvey Keitel, who visits a convent in Coimbra’s riverside city. He meets with Sister Lúcia, played by Sônia Braga, an elderly nun. She recounts her role in a historical event that took place in 1917.

The conversations between pragmatic academics and the severe spiritual self-discipline illuminate a decades-old mystery and set the stage for an inspiring story that has fascinated millions for over a century.

An angel visited 10-year-old Lúcia, played by Stephanie Gil, while wandering in a cave close to home in Aljustrel, on the outskirts of Fátima, Portugal, and showed her a vision of a battlefield.

World War I is raging across Europe and claiming the lives of many young men in Lúcia’s village. In the vision, Lúcia sees her brother, Manuel, played by João Arrais, a soldier at the front, caught in an explosion. Later, while tending her family’s flock of sheep, Lúcia and her younger cousins Jacinta, played by Alejandra Howard, and another apparition, the Virgin Mary, played by Joana Ribeiro, visited Francisco, played by Jorge Lamelas. As she calls herself the “Lady of the Rosary,” she tells the children they must pray and suffer to end the deadly conflict. She also tells them she will return to the same spot every month for six months.

Like many in the town, Lúcia’s devout mother, Maria, played by Lúcia Moniz, doesn’t believe the children’s story and chastises Lúcia for lying. But as the mayor, Artur, played by Goran Višnjić, and Church officials try to convince the youngsters to recant their story, the sighting spreads.

Pilgrims from across the country flock to Fátima, hoping to have their prayers answered, but only the children can see or hear the apparitions. As more people come, the pressure mounts on the newly installed secularist government officials to refute the children’s testimony. Artur eventually resorts to imprisoning Lúcia and her cousins, hoping to have them declared insane. But the psychiatrist he enlists to examine them finds no evidence to support that claim, and the Artur lets them free.

The movie streams on Amazon, and the reviews are positive.

On the day of Mary’s last visit to Fátima, tens of thousands of believers arrive, hoping to witness a miracle that will convince them of her existence. They still talk about what the girls experienced to this day, and the site remains one of the world’s most popular destinations for Catholic pilgrims.

The screenplay is an uplifting story about the power of faith based on real-life events by Pontecorvo, Valerio D’Annunzioo, and Barbara Nicolosi.