Writer-director Margaret Betts “Novitiate” is a spiritual drama following 17-year-old Cathleen
(Margaret Qualley, “The Nice Guys”) as she falls
hopelessly, giddily in love. But it’s not a boy — or any other human — who’s
captured her heart, it’s God.
Much to the bewilderment of her
entirely non-religious mother (a terrific Julianne Nicholson), Cathleen freely
enters herself into the grueling training to become a “bride of Christ,”
all but abandoning every aspect of her previous life. Joining the Order Of The Sisters Of Blessed Rose convent, she surrenders
herself to the church’s intimidating Reverend Mother (Melissa Leo), who rules
over her charges with an iron fist.
Cathleen’s entry into the covenant
coincides with the reforms of Vatican II, which set out to take a hard look at
the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and update it for a modern era. This
changing ideology radically altered the role nuns played in the church, a shift
which upends the Reverend Mother’s world, causing her behavior to spiral further
into sadism.
Melissa Leo’s performance has
garnered a lot of praise as “Novitiate” has made the festival rounds, and she
certainly goes big with the role. Her work walks a fine line between compelling
and being just too much, and I’m not convinced she always remains on the right
side of that line. Thankfully, Qualley’s more
subdued, but entirely wonderful, performance helps to balance out Leo’s scenery
chewing.
Betts’s film admires the hard,
selfless work the women do to prove their faith, even as it questions whether
their sacrifices are worth surrendering their entirely human desire for
intimacy. Through Cathleen’s eyes, “Novitiate” becomes a captivating
examination of belief, devotion, sexuality, and spirituality.
This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 5, 2017.
