My first feedback on There Be Dragons from a friend, Ivan Garcia Bermudez  in Madrid:

“Yesterday I had the opportunity to seeo the Special Screening of “There be dragons” for World Youth Day volunteers. The Screening was in Palafox Cinema of Madrid, just very close to where the first center of Opus Dei was sited. We were very privileged as most of the movie team was present at the event: Charlie Cox, Wes Bentley and producers Ignacio Nuñez and Ignacio Gómez Sancha. They shared some thoughts with us about the movie and the “dragons” they had to face to accomplish this movie, especially to raise the 40 million Euros for this project. Being a film that takes faith seriously and doesn´t criticize the Church, you cannot expect much funding from the Spanish Government.

I think the movie is great. You can see they have spent a lot of money on this project – excellent plot, sophisticated narrative and a lot of ideas that can help in your life. I think this is a movie that entertains but is also good for the mind and for the soul. This movie can be applied to everyone’s life as everybody is facing their own difficulties, their own mistakes and their own inner dragons. It is an encouraging thought that there is always an opportunity for hope.

I was afraid that the movie would give an unreal and romantic version about priesthood but not at all It reflects the hard conditions in which the first members of Opus Dei  had to live.  Another aspect that attracted me was how well the director depicts the determination of St. Josemaria to be faithful to the project of God, no matter how harsh the conditions were.  Sometimes you cannot see God in the midst of difficulties but when we have leaders with such a great determination to go on, who are beacons for the rest of us (We need more Josemarias).    Also the spirit of the Work is very well  captured in the movie, not bad for an agnostic director. I think I need to see the movie again to extract more food for the mind. Probably I will bring my atheist friends to watch it, I think it will be a great opportunity to introduce God to them.