Sydney Sweeney's Immaculate unveils the darkness of women's autonomy in a chilling setting.
Last Updated: 12.23 PM, Sep 26, 2024
Sydney Sweeney has shown her acting prowess in several genres, from high-intensity drama to romantic comedy. However, this year, the actor also dabbled in the horror genre, with her film Immaculate now released on OTT in India. You can stream the horror flick on Prime Video right now. Álvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli, Dora Romano, Giorgio Colangeli, Simona Tabasco, and Sweeney, who is also involved in producing it, are among the cast members of Andrew Lobel's script and Michael Mohan's direction.
The story follows a young novice as he accepts an invitation to live in a beautiful Italian monastery, only to discover the terrible secrets it holds. An esteemed convent offers Cecilia (Sweeney), a deeply religious woman, a new position, and welcomes her with open arms in the idyllic Italian countryside. However, Cecilia soon learns that her new house has dreadful secrets.
Immaculate had its world premiere in March, and the film's $28.4 million worldwide gross was due to its mediocre reviews.
The films Immaculate and The First Omen have earned the moniker of "twin" due to their shared premise, Italian setting, and simultaneous release. With their depictions of women's bodies as nothing more than vessels, both films probe the question of women's autonomy over their own bodies.
Topics covered in the film include genetic engineering, abortion, and infanticide, as well as the controversies surrounding these topics. While director Mohan did discuss his family's decision to stop going to church after hearing a pro-life sermon in an interview with Fangoria, he insisted that the film did not aim to convey any societal message.
Even though the film is essentially about a religious institution claiming a woman's body through forced childbirth, Mohan seems unconcerned by the backlash it is receiving from conservative online communities. To him, that doesn't seem like an issue. If the film initiates a dialogue about this crucial topic that he deems urgently necessary, it has fulfilled its mission. However, the filmmaker is clear that he would prefer it if the audience initiated that discussion. "Look at those social justice warriors!" is the last thing he wants people to say when they see them. It appears that Mohan is more concerned with having Immaculate fulfil horror's secondary purpose of leaving permanent scars on its victims.
According to several reviewers, Immaculate is like a new take on the nunsploitation subgenre. Roman Polanski, Lucio Fulci, Mario Bava, and Dario Argento were among those who cited the thematic and artistic inspirations of European horror films of the 1970s.