Immaculate
2024
Director- Michael Mohan
Cast- Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli, Dora
Romano, Giorgio Colangeli, Simona Tabasco
Sister Cecilia
(Sidney Sweeney) is a young nun who has just arrived at a convent in Italy. The
convent serves as a hospice and retirement home for older nuns, many that are
close to death or who have developed dementia. The younger nuns, like Cecilia,
take care of their elderly Sisters in their twilight years.
After a
short time in the convent, Cecilia becomes sick and it becomes quickly apparent
that she is pregnant. After a rudimentary examination, her pregnancy is
proclaimed a miracle, an Immaculate Conception. Cecilia is immediately placed
in a position of reverence among the other sisters but the miracle begins to
seem sinister and Cecilia starts to wonder what horrible thing has truly
happened to her.
The movie
mixes equal parts religious trauma with body horror. Cecilia is quickly
reduced to an unimportant object whose only value is in giving birth,
regardless of her own desires or the dangers. Also, despite being in an environment
surrounded by women, she finds herself at the mercy of men, as the Father, the
Cardinal and the convent’s male doctor have complete say as to what happens to
her.
Isolation, dogma, and hierarchy
are used along with psychological gaslighting to create confusion and dread.
The viewer knows that the truth, whatever it is, won’t bring relief.
The film’s
budget, though comparatively large by independent standards ($ 9 million) is still
rather small by Hollywood standards. The film, which languished in development
Hell for years, was saved by Sweeney’s recent Hollywood success. She had
auditioned for the role years ago, and then ultimately became one of the film’s
producers helping to finally get it off the ground, which makes this a bit of a
passion project for her.
It’s a very
American film but has visible roots in Italian horror. First there is the
location, with principal photography taking place in Rome and much of the
dialogue being in Italian. The film further shows its love of Italian horror
with a prominent use of Bruno Nicholai’s “Servizio fotografico” from the
giallo, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times. There isn’t a lot of gore in the film,
but what there is, is very graphic and Fulciesque with people’s faces being
obliterated in a way that would have seemed natural in one of Lucio Fulci’s
films. Also, though the film is not a gothic horror, it has a gothic aesthetic.
Sweeney, walking through the darkened convent corridors with only a candle to
guide her, clothed only in a thin white gown, looks very much the part of a
gothic heroine.
The film
is a competent horror movie that most horror fans will find enjoyable, at least
for one view. However, the story unambiguously deals with the very modern issue
of reproductive rights, and there will be a few people who will identify very
much with the protagonist’s struggle. I can easily see Sweeney’s nun taking her
place alongside Florence Pugh’s Dani from Midsommar or Mia Goth’s Pearl, at
least for the people who will identify closely with her.
