Welcome to Nun boot camp
I can see what Margaret Betts was going for with her debut feature Novitiate. Set in the world of 1960s Catholicism, the goal of her film was to provide a telling look at the various aspects of mental and spiritual training that went into becoming a nun as seen through the eyes of a teenage girl. At the same time there must have been aims to capture pulse of the period where the church was shifting with the introduction of highly progressive methods. With such specific aims, Novitiate certainly had the potential to be one of the most provocative films of the year. At least, that was the goal. Unfortunately none of that happened as Novitiate has been gravely misjudged and mishandled in virtually each and every possible way.
The main character of Novitiate is Cathleen (Margaret Qualley), a young girl from small-town America being raised by her troubled, yet loving single mother Nora (Julianne Nicholson). A loner by nature, Cathleen finds solace in the catholic church despite the fact that her mother is an atheist. When Cathleen becomes of age, she decides to become a nun, an announcement which shocks Nora. Soon after Cathleen enters the convent as a postulate, she meets the kind Sister Mary Grace (Dianna Agron) and the incredibly stern Mother Superior (Melissa Leo), both of whom open her eyes in regards to what becoming a nun really means.
Novitiate is the kind of overblown indie film made by someone who has watched nothing but indie films so thoroughly that their own project cannot help but exist as a parody of itself. Each and every turn you expect a character to take, comes to fruition. There are no surprises here. Characters turn on each other. Other characters confide in each other. Some characters have a change of heart while other characters break down under the weight of their own frustrations. Even the protagonist’s journey, from her home life, to her unending isolation, to her need to belong, feels so phony and trite. Yes, Cathleen has a need to belong; to find an identity she can call her own. She firmly believes that becoming a nun will give her one. However, it’s a belief that turns out to be as phony as the film containing it. Is Cathleen’s late revelation truly genuine, or was she lying to herself as well as us? An even better question: Is is even worth caring?
It certainly doesn’t help matters that Novitiate has such a pedestrian feel to it when it comes to it execution. Scenes such as the various nuns-in-training discussing what made them want to enter the order and how rigid the practice of becoming a nun can be have about as much depth and texture as the reenactments in the Just Say No videos students were made to watch back in the day. Novitiate does manage to make something of a couple of statements in two instances. The first is in the Mother Superior’s struggle to accept the changes she is being made to undertake that are now required under Vatican II. Watching as her own identity and beliefs become compromised lends itself to moments of real internal struggle. The second occurs when Nora insists on a meeting with the Mother Superior to discuss Cathleen’s waning health. When the Mother Superior suggests Nora refer to her simply as Mother, Nora raises her hand, closes her eyes and flamboyantly proclaims: “Lady, I am NOT calling you mother.” Though humorous, the moment offers great perspective about the world outside the faith.
Sadly, the performances in Novitiate are about as solid as the film. Qualley can’t help but channel Kristen Stewart in her time on screen, failing to bring her character to life. Meanwhile, despite a genuine effort, Nicholson can’t help but give in to the various stereotypes associated with someone like Nora. Agron proves to be totally out of her depth, as is Dennis O’Hare in his one scene as a visiting priest who pops up to remind the Mother Superior that she’d better start getting with the new program. As for Leo, she proves the film’s saving grace, giving Novitiate more credibility than any actor ever should. Apart from a couple of campy moments which properly see the Mother Superior lose it, the performance is yet another reminder of how lucky the film world is to have Leo.
One of the biggest things working against Novitiate is that its main conflict doesn’t show itself until the final act. By that time, it’s far too late to start caring about anything or anyone on the screen. Meanwhile, the conflict faced by the Mother Superior has too many pluses and minuses to it, namely a new and progressive outlook on the faith which also spells the end of certain beloved practices, that we don’t know how to react. As someone who was baptized and confirmed as Catholic, I’m always curious, if a little nervous, whenever I sit down to watch a film which makes an attempt to explore my faith. But Novitiate is so incredibly hollow that the film is destined to feel alien and uninvolving to all who see it, regardless of faith.
