Serving as the star and producer, Sydney Sweeney reportedly led the charge to get the script for Immaculate from Andrew Lobel and even went back and teamed up with Michael Mohan, her director on The Voyers, and if that film was a throwback to Hitchcock’s Rear Window with a little bit of the sex appeal of Basic Instinct, Immaculate cuts for the giallo-inspirations and sends Sweeney down one hell of a ride.
We meet Cecilia (Sweeney) as she arrives in Italy and is on her way to join a new covenant. But like all churches in the middle of nowhere, it’s one that’s hiding a big secret. Of course, Cecilia doesn’t know, but we, as the audience, are well aware thanks to a brutal opening sequence with an attempted escape from a Sister, played by The White Lotus’s second-season breakout, Simona Tabasco.
Everything seems fine as far as covenants go when Cecilia arrives. There’s a bully, there’s the friend that Cecilia makes on the first day, and then there’s Father Sal Tedeschi (Alvaro Morte), whose appearance among all the women is enough of a red flag on its own, let alone his subtle delivery and tone around Cecilia.
Immaculate is a slow burn that packs a hell of a final act with a few bits of heart-racing moments along the way. That said, at barely 90 minutes, it’s a brisk pace that doesn’t fail to hit you with a few jump scares and odd creeping of floorboards during the night before blood begins to spill. Whether it’s the setting, the cast of Sisters, or the rather sweet innocence Sweeney can project into Cecilia, you quickly fall into wanting her to be okay, and when things start getting weird — and they get very weird — Sweeney more than delivers on both the pain and the overcoming of obstacles mentally and physically needed to fight for her life.
The final act of this film is intense, and I found Sweeney’s performance phenomenal. One scene in particular brings the same commitment that Isabelle Adjani delivered in Possession, though there are fewer milk bottles.
The subject matter may not be entirely new, especially for the genre, but it’s one of the best takes on a film like this I’ve seen in some time. It’s a very well-made film with solid direction from Mohan and beautiful photography from Elisha Christian showcasing the beautiful gothic-castle seen throughout the film and commendable sound design from the team working on the film delivering creepy and, at times, disgusting effects.
The ending of Immaculate may be a make-or-break for some people as it’s both highly intense and bloody, while also, possibly, not delivering what everyone wants out of this film and for Cecilia. But the movie is about Cecilia and the choices she gets to make for herself, not what you think she should have or could have done.
