Sydney Sweeney is having a heck of a 2024. The actress has (in world record time) used meaty TV roles as a springboard to tackle some memorable movie work. This week, Immaculate hits movie theaters around the country. Is this Neon horror movie a blessing or a curse? Read on.
Immaculate follows a young woman (Sweeney) preparing to take her final vows as a nun. To make matters even more complicated, she’s been invited to join a new convent by the dashing Father Tedeschi (Alvaro Morte). However, once she arrives at the picturesque Italian religious shrine, things get spooky. Any more than that is likely going to be spoilers, so that’s all you’re getting. Simona Tabasco, Benedetta Porcaroli, and Dora Romano co-star in the movie. Michael Mohan directs Immaculate from a script by Andrew Lobel.
Now, getting back to Sydney Sweeney, the young actor comes out of the gate this time around with a beautifully, emotionally centered performance. As Cecilia, she is the emotional core of this movie. This is a complicated and free-flowing narrative and with that, any audience buy-in stands squarely on her shoulders.
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It’s difficult to tell what you’re going to get from Immaculate. The movie fearlessly tackles a number of different genre staples. This is part ‘Old Dark House’ and part ‘Religious Horror’ with just a hint of Ready or Not thrown in.
Those looking for the kooky and the weird are perhaps going to struggle the most with this one. The narrative builds steadily and for much of the first act and a half, Immaculate feels like a standard horror movie, which works for a jumpscare coward like myself. It’s a stately and immaculately shot horror movie, but there’s a lot of reliance on jump scares in the early acts. There’s a dark convent, drippy candles, and a ton of elderly nuns. That tells you a lot of what you need to know.
However, things shift into slightly more ‘unhinged’ territory as the film crests at the end of Act Two. As the story reaches its climax, it’s big, it’s brash and it’s not afraid to spark some outrage.
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Sydney Sweeney doesn’t shy away from the craziness in the second act. In fact, her acting in the final scene places her right alongside the ‘Gold Standards’ of long-take acting. In an extended shot, just Sweeney alone in close-up, she brings a painful, charged, and riveting performance standing next to Mia Goth in Pearl and Timothee Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name. It’s hard to watch, but at the same time, it’s impossible to look away.
The cast behind Sweeney is packed with European talent who, with few exceptions are going to be new to many. Alvaro Morte is fun to watch as Father Tedeschi while Sweeney builds entertaining chemistry with Benedetta Porcaroli as Sister Mary. The young actress shines as one of the few examples of human companionship Cecilia can lean on.
As mentioned, one of Immaculate‘s many strengths comes in the rich shooting and cinematography. Mohan gels well with cinematographer Elisha Christian to bring the convent to life in stunning artistic beauty. There is certainly an appreciation of the location’s dark and terrifying elements. However, the dark and low-light photography merges easily into a vivid and striking use of color influenced by classic religious artwork.
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When all is said and done, Immaculate largely accomplishes what it sets out to do. In an environment that is increasingly reliant on not only high-concept horror but also shock factor, it will perhaps be a bit tame for some. However, even at its most basic, this is a creepy, jump-scare-inducing horror movie. Come for the creepy location and stay for Sydney Sweeney’s dynamic performance.
Immaculate opens around the country on March 22, 2024.
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