Novitiate (2017)

Novitiate is special because it treats faith not as a backdrop but as a living, breathing force—beautiful, suffocating, and fiercely desired—captured with a quiet intensity that sneaks up on you. Margaret Betts directs with a steady, intelligent hand, letting the convent’s rituals and rules create a hypnotic, pressure-cooker atmosphere where every glance and whispered prayer feels charged. Margaret Qualley gives Cathleen a tender, searching vulnerability, while Melissa Leo’s Reverend Mother is a formidable portrait of devotion turning into control, all rendered with the kind of gravity that respects its characters even when it challenges their choices. It’s not an easy watch and the R-rated sexuality and harsh discipline may be a dealbreaker for some, but if you’re drawn to serious dramas that wrestle honestly with identity, desire, and belief, this one lingers like a difficult, necessary confession.

Novitiate is aiming for a serious, intimate look at devotion under pressure, using Vatican II as the earthquake that rattles both a young novice’s certainty and a hardline Reverend Mother’s identity. It’s beautifully acted and sharply observed, but it’s also intentionally austere: the pacing is slow, the emotions are tightly contained, and the film often keeps you at a chilly distance rather than giving you cathartic payoffs. The discipline and sexuality themes are handled with a blunt, punishing intensity (including some nudity and masturbation), so it can feel more like endurance than entertainment. If you want a propulsive plot or a warm, uplifting faith story, this probably isn’t for you; if you’re up for a quiet, rigorous character study with strong performances, it may land.