Went into this fairly blind. I knew it involved nuns and Melissa Leo and it looked fairly dark. I went to Catholic school from Pre-K thru high school (being one of the few non-Catholics made that a bit tricky, but that’s a story for another time), so I’m very familiar with that world. I’m not sure this is quite what I was hoping for though.
The story follows a young woman who enters a ridiculously strict convent and begins her training to become a nun. It’s the 60’s and the Second Vatican Council is meeting and will set new policies that will have sweeping effect on the church and the convent.
I think I expected more drama from within the convent itself, more psychological. The trailer seemed to suggest that perhaps the mother Superior was abusive and I thought it would be a more harrowing tale. It ended up being more straight forward, following the young woman’s journey at the convent. Her extreme faith may have put her in mental or physical danger, but it was mostly internal.
Because so much of this centered around a woman who was questioning her own faith and devotion, it raised a lot of the questions that I have in my own struggle with faith. I should have anticipated that, but was still caught a bit off guard by how much it sent my internal gears turning. I didn’t like the feeling it left me with. Yes, it’s a good thing for a film to challenge you, but that wasn’t what I wanted that day.
Novitiate – \m/ \m/ \n