Viva! Saint Agrippina
In the 3rd Century, Agrippina of Mineo was born to a nobel Roman family. She was a princess. Around 262, she was killed by the Roman Emperor at the time, after which three Christian women took her body to the town of Mineo in Sicily, where her tomb is a well-known pilgrimage in the region. She was martyred by the Catholic and Orthodox churches, and she remains a patron saint against “evil spirits, leprosy, thunderstorm, bacteria diseases, and bacterial infections.”
All of that I found on Wikipedia for the purpose of this review, although in his documentary, “Viva! Saint Agrippina,” writer/director Christopher DiNunzio presents all of the same information through the voices of members of The Saint Agrippina Benefit Society in Boston, whom are putting on their 95th annual festival in honor of this saint at the time of this documentary. DiNunzio reveals his own bias towards his subject during the opening narration, but the remaining 90 minutes of his film is seen with profound objectivity. DiNunzio isn’t heard from for the remainder of the film, as he turns the story of this festival over to the society members, as well as others in the community, who gather on the streets for three days to celebrate her life, and just enjoy being around those who care as much as they do.
Though centered around a religious icon, as we listen to people speak about their individual relationship with not just Saint Agrippina, but the festival itself, we find that their thoughts aren’t rooted so much in religious dogma but in a greater sense of community and responsibility to those who come out, and to Saint Agrippina. Especially to the members of the Society, she is talked about as if she were a member of their own families. That level of love and respect comes through in the words of everyone DiNunzio interviews, and the images of the festival he captures with his camera. It’s that devotion that gives “Viva! Saint Agrippina” its living, breathing heart, as we bear witness to a tradition that may only be 95 years old in Boston right now, but will likely live on, maybe even as long as it has in Mineo, Sicily. But that’s for another filmmaker to witness.
