Sydney Sweeney in a scene from ‘Immaculate’
A young woman from America, seeking to deepen her relationship with God, arrives at a convent full of nuns on the coast of Italy. In the process of following evangelical advice and taking her final vows to become a nun, she unravels a series of horrifying events that lead to a frightening discovery that explains the systematically mediated events of her life. This is the story First omenA film that was released not too long ago. But if you take this as a plot summary of the Sydney Sweeney-led film NirmalYou’re not particularly wrong either.
In a shocking blow to women’s bodily autonomy, the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to have an abortion that had been upheld for decades and, as rights go, it became fodder for Hollywood to create horror stories. No wonder it feels so hilarious when Sweeney brings down a number of religious extremists who try to take away her right to bodily autonomy. Though limited, they make up the best parts of this horror film that doubles as a hat-tip to old Italian horror movies.
Immaculate (English)
Director: Michael Mohan
Mould: Sydney Sweeney, Alvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli
Plot: A young novice enters an Italian convent in search of her destiny, but finds something she did not expect.
Runtime: 90 minutes
After a long first half, most of which should have ended up under the editor’s work table, we, along with Cecilia (Sweeney), discover that she is pregnant despite being a virgin. As the trimester progresses, the film gathers pace and reaches a climax when both her water and hell break loose. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Sweeney alone holds her own Nirmal on its capable shoulders. The film doesn’t reinvent the horror wheel and would fail if its central actor didn’t do a true job of living up to the film’s title. Sweeney handles the story like her life depends on it… part of which may actually be true, considering she’s also its co-producer.
Director Michael Mohan’s film lacks ambition and sticks to the basics of its chosen genre. A character calls Cecilia “the angel of light” and then we are shown an inscription from Corinthians 11:14 to call us back. We are told about the cemetery beneath the convent 15 minutes into the film and, as expected, this is where the climax unfolds. The initial mention of science comes back when it is used to commit unspeakable horrors in the name of inciting the Second Coming. Nirmal The film is full of Chekhov’s guns, but they only fire blank bullets, which do not have much impact in getting the film’s point across.
If you like the sub-genre of Nunsploitation, which features gore and scary scenes, this movie might be perfect for you. But let’s say you’re looking for a horror movie that will make you scream and scream, like the brilliant Sweeney did in the final moments of the film, Nirmal You can’t find anything more stimulating than a great performance Excitement star.
Immaculate is playing in theaters now
