Toa`ipuapuagā Strength in Suffering

After a near-death experience in 2016, Toa claims to have been sent on a mission to spread the gospel and mend worldly relationships with God. She also displays stigmata similar to those associated with Christ at the crucifixion. Toa’s case unleashes a wave of controversy in Samoa’s Christian community, which is torn between faith and scepticism. In her film, Vea Mafile’o combines media footage and interviews with Toa and her family to create a personal narrative that goes beyond questions of truth to explore how Toa’s physical experience of her injuries has affected her relationships. (Berlinale)