Wonder Watchlist

Last week director Michael Mohan and NEON blessed, or in some cases ruined, our lives with Immaculate. A blood soaked candle lit film that will make your stomach weak and your love for Sydney Sweeney grow. Taking place in a countryside Italian nunnery this film shows the importance of bodily autonomy, and extremes women face in oppressive communities. Sydney Sweeneys blood curdling screams with stick with audiences for years, as she gives one of the best leading horror performances in a long time.

Opening this weekend at NEON highest domestic weekend ever at $5.3M, it’s sad to think that this film could’ve never been made. Outside of her performance in this film Sydney Sweeney serves as a producer with her company Fifty Fifty Films. A project she has been passionate about since before she got her role in HBO’s hit Euphoria. With initially getting the role of Cecelia, a young bright eyed nun, 10 years prior she held this film close as she climbed her way to stardom bringing Director Michael Mohan and writer Andrew Lovell along. Thankfully they continued to push for this film to be made, and give us something truly special.

This film is without a doubt Sydney Sweeney’s best role to date, it elevates her into a new caliber beyond her beauty it shows what she is truly capable of. As the film begins Cecelia is an eager young woman who is naive in a new country, and has ambitions to serve her religion and community. Quickly she discovers that this isn’t like her small covenant back in the states, there’s an unsettling darkness looming. Sweeneys performance as Cecelia is transformative, both in the physical sense and ideological sense. Once a beautiful beaming woman full of love for her God, now has been taken over for a cause she did not consent to. Her most impressive moments come from the emotion she displays her eyes, swelling with terror or gleaming with adoration. Near the ending of the film she is completely unrecognizable in her performance but also as an actress. Sweeneys adrenaline fueled blood bath of rage in the third act will have you white knuckling your arm rests and clenching your jaw.

Outside of Sweeneys performance the supporting cast does an incredible job of making you feel utterly uneasy and fills your skin with goosebumps. Stand out performances in this film go to Benedetta Porcaroli (Sister Gwen), Simona Tabasco (Sister Mary), and Álvaro Morte (Father Sal Tedeschi). Porcaroli delivers a performance that speaks the the soul of defiance, especially within the rising tension of their covenant. Her strength to speak up inspires a mousy Cecelia that echoes within her during the film. To balance this Tabasco plays the role of a menacingly jealous sister well, and causes much conflict for Cecelia. She confuses her, challenges her, and makes Cecelia question the true intentions of a miracle. Lastly, Morte gives a sinister coin flip of a performance that aims to control Cecelia by posing as a person she can trust with evil lurking below his surface.

The beauty of Immaculate not only is displayed in the performances and story, but also in the location it takes place in. The architecture of the nunnery is something of another time, each piece of molding, drapery, and candle has a purpose and place. Production Designer Adam Reamer, Art Directors Francesco Scandale and Anthony Steven Visciglia, along with Set Decorator Veronica Lopez make each scene pop with their idealistic countryside landscape that turns into a nightmare. Matched with the dark and moody candle lit illumination by Elvis Pasqual makes this film at times an anxiety ridden experience.

What doesn’t quite work, or things that weren’t explored enough in this film would be story lines for the other sisters. There’s some interesting moments between Cecelia and Sister Mary that bring into light Mary’s experience. But it doesn’t go far beyond a mention or two, and leaves you wanting more. Although the film has an important message pertaining to a women’s right to choose, and the systems in place to oppress them, the film only having an 89 minute runtime leaves a lot of the story untold. Some characters could have incredibly poignant moments but they aren’t fleshed out enough to where it seems like a blink and you’ll miss it situation. There’s a scene that shows Cecelia being literally worshipped as she is cloaked in the most stunning outfit of the film. She is a renaissance painting brought to life, and this kind of imagery could be more utilized in the film to show how ritualistic religious practices can be.

Overall Immaculate is a horror film that has a message that rings true especially in the world we live in now. Its success is a testament to Sweeneys determination to its story, and the hard work of the cast and crew that brought it to life. A truly horrific film with a transformative performance showing the audience the importance of consent, and a woman’s right to choose.