A believe it or not horror-thriller
Johnson Thomas
The story is quite captivating despite hyperventilating over the grotesque and the incendiary. Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney), an American nun of devout faith, is sent to a remote convent, aptly titled ‘My Lady of Sorrows’, in the picturesque Italian countryside to complete her vows and assist in the care of convalescent old nuns nearing the end of their existence.
There’s no period specified, so we have to take this as contemporary, happening in the here and now.
The prologue depicts a nun trying to escape, getting caught, tortured and left to die in a catacomb by several nuns wearing red face masks. So we know that there is something sinister going on here. Cecilia comes into the picture at this juncture and is welcomed warmly by the resident priest and Mother Superior. We also see that one of the nuns, a trainer, is not really excited by Cecilia’s welcome.
By the end of the first act (the narrative is divided into three chapters), we understand why the film is titled ‘Immaculate’. Cecilia finds out she’s pregnant without ever having sex. Andrew Lobel’s script borrows his main plot from the concept of Mary’s immaculate conception of Jesus Christ — but in the convent where Cecilia is an inmate, her immaculate conception is questionable. The filmmakers refuse to throw much light on the plot turn other than making her walk through a museum containing several jars of underdeveloped embryos. Here, Father Sal Tedeschi (Alvaro Morte) explains to her ‘a horror of horrors’ as to how she is probably going to be their first success story for an experiment that they have carried out over several decades.
The actual process is never elaborated upon.
Sister Cecilia, who believed she had found her calling, suddenly finds herself at sea. She becomes a revered figure, kept away from daily duties of taking care of the terminally-ill nuns. Cardinal Franco Merola (Giorgio Colangeli) and the Mother Superior (Dora Romano) are delighted. Cecilia begins to have visions and becomes aware of suspicious and disturbing occurrences in the convent. Her friend, the sceptical and outspoken Sister Gwen (Benedetta Porcaroli), disappears and the foetus growing within her gives her an ill-feeling. The foreboding is evident but not felt as deeply as it should be for this kind of a construct. The character development is weak.
Michael Mohan’s film fails to employ a consistent and absorbing visual language. The cinematography is beautiful, shot by ‘Columbus’ director of photography Elisha Christian. We see a series of spell-binding images with natural and candle-light. As a lurid survival thriller, the narrative has Sister Cecilia go through an endless series of corridors to eventually make her escape.
This is an Italian horror construct and will therefore bear comparison to similar films of yore. The fact that there’s a story of sorts to hold it together, helps cement the ‘horror’ entertainment here.
Andrew Lobel’s script concentrates its might on the central character. Cecilia’s response to coercive control is quite believable. Secrets unravel and the dawning horror of human culpability could prove quite daunting for those who are easily led. The alarming score by composer Will Bates adds a certain depth to the telling. The creepy music does well to enhance the story and the performances.
Sweeney is the one who holds your attention throughout. Her facial expressions and ability to immerse herself in the role come good here.
This is a fairly captivating and enjoyable horror-thriller that sets generic ‘ghosts’ aside and deals mainly with the corruption of the human mind, even when cut from a religious cloth. It’s likely to be hell for the ardent believer!
