After being found dead in her jail cell, a young woman's life story of being possessed by a good and an evil power is told by her brother, the family's Catholic priest, and her neurosurgeon.
SAINT: Sheree’s story is told – via a series of flashbacks – using the POVs/interviews with Joe (Sheree’s older brother), Dr. Alisha Malik (neurologist/Sheree’s doctor), and Father Ray (family Catholic priest). All speak to a camera with an interviewer, who remains OS. Please note: this story is loosely based on personal family facts - however the parties are long deceased, and there are no living relatives.
Six months after the death of Sheree, Joe recalls her possession by an entity who called herself “Mary,” and how Sheree was an in-betweener (medium). Out of desperation, Melody (Joe and Sheree’s mom) went to Father Ray for help, claiming that her daughter turns into the devil after midnight. When Father Ray and Dr. Malik meet Sheree, they're both at a loss to explain what’s really going on. Joe recounts Sheree’s struggles to fit in at school. But she’s a weird kid who says horrific things and ends up freaking everyone out. During a routine exam at Dr. Malik’s, Sheree spits out coins, nails and matted wads of hair – all classic possession manifestations. Father Ray confronts Mary through a series of exorcism rituals – but Mary doesn’t go. Just as everything seems lost, Sheree develops miraculous healing powers but refuses to charge for her gifts. People call Sheree a saint. Privacy for the family is gone. At church, the statues on pedestals turn to acknowledge her when she enters. Sheree wishes she had friends, a normal life. Then Freddie Parker (a promoter) appears on their doorstep. Sheree makes a prophecy, exposing him for the user he will be – but Joe and Melody are enticed by the promise of huge profits at last and don’t listen. After puberty, everything changes. Sheree falls in love and finds some joy at last. But she's dumped, and "Mary" kills him in a fit of rage. The jury convicts her. Before her sentencing, she’s found dead in her solitary cell with a blissful smile. Was she called up early, or will herself to die? Was she a saint, or merely a girl who lived her life at the mercy of the demons/gods that raged in her brain? It’s a matter of perspective…
Mirtha Vega is a Cuban-American indie writer/director/producer. Honors include:
Selected Producer at Cannes’ Producers’ Network
Selected Talent under the Berlinale Talents program as a Director at the Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival)
Personally invited by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Nobel Peace Prize winner) as one of only 10 filmmakers from around the world to and attended his “How to Tell a Story” workshop at the Film School in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba
Selected Producer by NALIP (The National Association of Latino Independent Producers) to attend their Producer’s Conference.
Placed in the top 10% in the Nicholl Screenwriting competition
Won Best Original Screenplay at the Rhode Island International Film Festival
