Rather than a standard biography, the film is a series of nine vignettes drawn from the 14th-century Little Flowers of St. Francis .

The film's Italian title translates to "Francis, God's Jester". This refers to the medieval concept of the giullare (jester or juggler)—outcasts who spoke awkward truths through comedy and performance.

: Rossellini portrays the brothers not as somber saints, but as "holy innocents" who romp through the mud, give away their clothes, and preach with a "Zen-like calm" that defies social norms. A Non-Narrative "Deep Story"