Most of the time, when a film takes a look at religion it
can be hit or miss on an extreme scale. It runs the risk of being too preachy
or flat out church in film form (i.e. God’s
Not Dead) or it could be an in depth look at the nature of faith in a
chaotic world (i.e. Silence). Novitiate, thankfully, falls much closer
to the hits.
Raised by a non-religious, single mother in rural Tennessee,
a scholarship to Catholic school soon finds Cathleen (Margaret Qualley) drawn into the mystery and
romanticism of a life devoted to the worship and servitude of God. With the
dawn of the Vatican II era, radical changes in the Church are threatening the
course of nuns' lives. As she progresses from the postulant to the novitiate
stage of training, she finds her faith repeatedly confronted and challenged by
the harsh, often inhumane realities of being a servant of God. Cathleen finds
herself struggling with issues of faith, sexuality, and recent changes in life
of the Church.
The film’s strengths involve its deeper themes of faith and
devotion to a deity and not necessarily feeling this love reciprocated. And
though the questions are universal, Novitiate
feels unique in its use of different perspectives. With a fairly intimate look
at each individuals journey, the film makes a path that is interesting in its
own right, but only becomes more intriguing amidst the historical backdrop.
Though there aren’t any true weak performances in the film,
these is a reason that Melissa Leo is receiving a majority of the praise. All
the awards buzz is completely justified as Leo delivers a compelling and
complex performance that anchors the film. That’s not to say the rest of the
cast doesn’t excel though. Margaret Qualley is able to keep pace with the
veteran Leo, especially with so much material to work with. The most surprising
performance, however, has to be Dianna Agron, whose subtle nature and emotional
role start the whole philosophical outlook of the film.
If one were to describe Novitiate
in one word, elegant would be it. The film is beautifully shot to match the
themes and the entire atmosphere has a sort of grandeur to it. Novitiate is a grand, gorgeous
experience that is crafted to portray just that. It handles almost like a
painting, with each perspective a different stroke amongst the bigger picture.
Overall, Novitiate
is a good film regarding faith and religion and what it means to an individual.
Led by a brilliant performance from Melissa Leo, one that will surely land her
a multitude of nominations once the season begins. But the elegance of the film
as a whole is hard to match, making Novitiate
worthwhile for the experience alone.
So what did you think of Novitiate?
Have you seen it? Are you interested in seeing it? Share, subscribe, comment
below, and as always return to I Am Sam for weekly reviews and insight.
No comments :
Post a Comment