Grade: D
Immaculate isn’t a badly done movie, just one that I didn’t enjoy at all, and it makes me wonder who would. The subject matter, storyline, and content is all so unrelentingly dark and disturbing. It never comes up for air from that. The best films have tension and release. Everything in Immaculate is tense – even the release.
Sydney Sweeney plays Cecilia, who becomes Sister Cecilia when she arrives at an Italian convent. She’s sweet, innocent, very devout, and on board. We know almost nothing about her backstory, except for one detail that comes into play in an unbelievable twist. The opening sequence, before we even meet Sweeney, shows a Sister trying desperately to escape in the middle of the night, and almost succeeding, until the elder nuns take care of her. It’s enough to let us know that something’s up with that place, and people want to leave.
While there, Cecilia becomes pregnant. Nobody knows how, including her. She has never been with a man (or a woman, she’s quick to add) in her life. Other critics have given away more than I will. I’ll stop there, mostly because I’m anxious to be done writing about this movie. But I do have a question: when a character who means harm is searching for someone hiding from them, why do they keep saying their name? In one scene, we hear “Cecilia” so many times that I started whispering “you’re breaking my heart – you’re shaking my confidence daily.” Immaculate, as I said, isn’t poorly made. It’s just so thoroughly unpleasant.
I will never forget the last scene. What Sweeney does there must have taken courage, energy, and stamina. She’s establishing herself as a skilled actress and scream queen – not just a movie star who is nice to look at. The ending, for me, begged the question of “what now?” and “is a happy ending even possible?” No matter what happens for Sister Cecilia beyond that last frame, she is going to need so much therapy.
Grade: D
Film Reviews by Mark 
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