X
- 2019
- PG-13
- Blue Fox Entertainment
- 1 h 46 m
- 2019
- PG-13
- Blue Fox Entertainment
- 1 h 46 m
Summary Saint Judy tells the inspirational true story of immigration attorney Judy Wood and her fight that changed American asylum law forever. In her first case, Judy represents a woman forced to flee her home country after being persecuted by the Taliban for opening a school for girls. While juggling her life as a single mother, Judy fights te...
Directed By: Sean Hanish
Written By: Dmitry Portnoy
- 2019
- PG-13
- Blue Fox Entertainment
- 1 h 46 m
- 2019
- PG-13
- Blue Fox Entertainment
- 1 h 46 m
Saint Judy
51
8.2
Where to Watch
Summary Saint Judy tells the inspirational true story of immigration attorney Judy Wood and her fight that changed American asylum law forever. In her first case, Judy represents a woman forced to flee her home country after being persecuted by the Taliban for opening a school for girls. While juggling her life as a single mother, Judy fights te...
Directed By: Sean Hanish
Written By: Dmitry Portnoy
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
51
43% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
57% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
51
43% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
57% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Although the pace lags at times and the narrative is a bit cliched, Saint Judy reminds us what America represents to the world. This timely and inspiring film instills faith in justice and human decency.
Saint Judy has a serious agenda and, in service of that, it eschews action scenes, thriller elements, and conventional contrivances. It tells a worthwhile story and provides a primer on aspects of immigration law without becoming didactic.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 25 User Ratings
8.2
84% Positive
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
12% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
4% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 25 User Ratings
8.2
84% Positive
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
12% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
4% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
The cast of Saint Judy is all established and popular actors and actresses. The cast did this movie justice and as well as Judith Wood justice. It is clear that these actors care very much for this movie and the true story behind it. The heart and soul of leading actress, Michelle Monaghan, shines through in her performance as she flawlessly embodies the grace and courage of Judith Wood. In addition, other big names such as, Peter Krause and Alfre Woodward, were excellent in this movie and made the story come to life and have soul. The actors made the audience and myself care about immigration law and its injustices. After this movie, everyone will be googling Judith Wood.
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Saint Judy not only had an incredible cast, but also a greatly informative and interesting storyline based off true events. Following the narrative of Judy Wood (Michelle Monaghan), an immigration lawyer, and her fight to defend the case of Afghan immigrant Asefa (Leem Lubany). Asefa desperately seeks asylum in the United States after being arrested in Afghanistan by the Taliban for enabling young girls to read—if forced to return home, she will face execution. Judy’s adamant battle for Asefa’s life transforms into a combat against the United States law of asylum for women. Also featuring Alfre Woodard and Common, the cast incredibly portrays this true story, and its pivotal moment for immigrants and females in American history. I highly recommend you watch Saint Judy, as the plot and performances really gripped my attention.
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It is Monaghan who keeps the movie on track, capturing Judy’s fire along with her sometimes aggravating tenacity. This honest actress is incapable of idealizing the characters she plays, and her modest, energetic performance makes Saint Judy — which might have been a dry textbook lesson — engaging and moving.
It’s a letdown for a movie that has its heart in the right place to resort to so many clichés.
While the viewer can intuit that Hanish has a strong clear story to tell, the director too often tricks things up.
The early glimmers of something soulful and sobering — rooted in investigative details and detention center realities — ultimately give way to the tired mechanics of give-it-all uplift.
Monaghan radiates a winning measure of defiant resilience and dignity, even when she and her illustrious co-stars are reduced to mouthpieces for political sentiments (as in Common’s censure of ICE) — which is depressingly often.
There is no other way to describe Saint Judy other than awe-inspiring and powerful. A touching movie that shows the strength and determination of Judith Woods, an immigration attorney fighting for Asefa Achwari, an Afghan woman who started a school for girls and was forced to flee her country, and her right to asylum in the US. The story is an incredible one, that you have to see to believe.
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The most powerful scenes in Saint Judy come from the incredible acting from Leem Lubany. She plays Asefa, a woman who seeks asylum after being persecuted for starting a school for girls in Afghanistan. Delving into her extremely difficult experiences before ending up where she did is powerful. It is a story that I cannot relate to at all because of my privilege, and it’s sad to remember that many people around the world face similar adversities. Judith Wood does everything she can to fight for these people to be able to start a life in America, even though there is an unfair system she has to fight against constantly. Despite this, her optimism, dedication, and compassion keep her going, and it makes the film so uplifting to watch.
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For historical drama fans, this is a really great film that explains the life of Judy Woods, a female lawyer responsible for changes to laws preventing immigrants from seeking asylum in the United States. Topics such as immigration and women’s rights are major players, and they were depicted in ways different than what one would typically expect from today’s media. I’m a big fan of Michelle Monaghan, and she did an incredible job of conveying the resilient bold woman that was Judy Woods. If you’re looking for an emotional, refreshing, historical drama I’d definitely recommend Saint Judy!
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(Mauro Lanari)
It's succeeded more as an incentive to hope for victory in small battles and mutual aid than in larger issues such as civil rights or the good side of (American but not only) justice. I don't know how truthful the biopic is, but it's a tasty Christmas tale this holiday season.
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Production Company
Cannonball Productions
Release Date Mar 1, 2019
Duration 1 h 46 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline The Fght for One is the Fight for All
Awards
Raindance Film Festival
• 2 Nominations
High Falls Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Los Angeles Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
