I have rarely had such a fast turnaround on my opinion of someone as I have experienced with my opinion of Sydney Sweeney. It was only a month or so ago that I said I would probably not be interested in many, if any, of her main acting credits and now I cannot wait to see whatever she does next. Whether the films are good or bad, and she has covered the spectrum in the past year or two, she seems intent on making the most of her moment in the sunshine, and that is reflected in the interesting variety of her projects.
Immaculate is a film you could basically label as “nunsploitation”. People might try to argue against that, but the dark heartbeat running throughout it, as well as the wild final moments, make it a film I could easily imagine slotting nicely aside many of the less mainstream titles in that particular sub-genre. In fact, add a bit of grime, dub our lead actress, and throw in a load of gratuitous nudity and this would easily feel like a ‘70s Euro-horror.
Sweeney plays Cecilia, a young woman who joins a remote convent in Italy. She is working hard to learn the Italian language, but seems to receive a relatively warm welcome from most of the convent residents. She is viewed differently, however, when she becomes pregnant, an apparently immaculate conception. Many are very happy with the news, including Father Sal Tedeschi (Àlvaro Morte), but some are not.
The fact that director Michael Mohan has worked with Sweeney before, with the two of them seeming to have got along great with one another, is unsurprising. This is the kind of film role that would be best performed under the guidance of someone you know and trust. It’s also no surprise to see that writer Andrew Lobel doesn’t have too many other credits, considering how far he is willing to go with the wilder aspects of his writing.
Just to clarify, the majority of Immaculate is a low-key mix of tension and paranoia. It’s very well done though, and paves the way for a third act that I am going to call enjoyable ballsy. There’s a feeling of everything being ever so slightly off-kilter, largely thanks to the opening scene, and every plot development feels like it could allow the film to go off in any one of a dozen different directions.
The supporting cast do a perfectly fine job, especially Morte, but this film works as well as it does thanks to Sweeney in the main role. Her character isn’t given too much detail, and she takes a while to unravel the odd reality of her situation, but her performance draws you in while she is vulnerable and confused, making her more pro-active moments less expected and much more satisfying. While many horror fans might lose patience with this, it is definitely a genre piece, and Sweeney shows that she can definitely hold her own with any of the legendary scream queens.
I really enjoyed this, as I’m sure you can tell. It’s a strange and quite bonkers tale that is told by people with confidence in their abilities to really sell it. For those who will end up disliking it, I hope you will at least be able to appreciate the fact that it was made. And if other big names are encouraged to have a go in movies with a similar vibe . . . all the better.
8/10
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