Novitiate

I watched this at home on BluRay from my public library, my wife chose to skip it. This is one of the better, maybe the best, of the movies I have seen this year. Maybe part of that is being a lifelong Catholic and remembering Vatican II and the changes this spawned in the Church. I was a boy about the same age the girls are depicted here in the early 1960s. The movie deals with two distinct but interrelated stories. The most significant is the impact Vatican II changes had on cloistered Nuns. Melissa Leo, in a best-actress quality performance, is the Reverend Mother. She has not been outside the grounds for 40 years and she oversees the whole operation, only answering to the Archbishop. She is exact and she is stern, if she thinks a young girl does not have the right stuff she will send them home without review. When she gets instructions from the Archdiocese for changes she is stricken and saddened. The other story is about a teenage girl from a dysfunctional and mostly Atheistic family. For reasons only she knows she was drawn to this "marriage with Jesus." She is played extremely authentically by Margaret Qualley (daughter of Andie MacDowell) as Cathleen, eventually Sister Cathleen. The BD has a very informative "extra" showing the writer/director and 5 of the key cast being asked questions and their providing answers to the research and the making of the movie. Superb movie, a bit underrated in my opinion.

Well,i never ever thought that i should review a film about life in convents,and the education of nuns. it is a good film, very well acting by young actresses,very nice invictive musical score,and good filmography. it gave what i expected from reading the plot,but it could have been more docu-/informative, especially around the subject of ''vatican ll'',but that is what wikipedia are for. also the use of narrative in the beginning that quikly faded away,did take away some of the true sting of this movie. it is not a promotional movie for the nun-society,and i will hope that it does not scare to many away from trying a nuns life,cause we have all benefited the chores and efforts given to us,especially through health care services ,kindergardens and caretaking for the people living in the shadows. i still wonder what happened to the main character...........

This film tells the story of a young woman who enters a convent to be a nun, out of her own volition. Wow, the film may be slow to build up for the finale, but the finale is very profound. I am still rendered speechless and am very saddened by the unintended consequences of the reforms. Having the entire world and the entire reason of existence being invalidated is unimaginable. The film finished for twenty minutes already and I am still having a heavy chest. It is a very profound film.