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Some actors become lost in their roles, but not Sydney Sweeney. Known for her roles in Euphoria and Anyone But You, she is a recognizable presence with a sizable impact on pop culture. Her constant use of her distinct millennial accent and endearingly self-aware demeanor only adds to this, blurring the line between her own public identity and the characters she portrays.
Some films may suffer from this, but Immaculate, a playful and wicked nod to Rosemary’s Baby and giallo movies like Suspiria, benefits from it. Despite avoiding stereotypical scream queen roles for a while, Sweeney embraces her role as a pure and innocent nun. Sister Cecilia, her character, becomes pregnant under mysterious circumstances and is confined by an extremist convent who believes she is carrying the next Messiah.
The movie revolves around malicious powers who believe they have a right to a young woman’s body and dictate its significance. Sweeney, well aware of the allure her classic pinup figure creates, intentionally takes on this role. However, her breakout role in the intense drama Euphoria can be seen as a critique of objectification, yet at the same time perpetuates it as she reportedly had to resist certain nude scenes written by creator Sam Levinson.
This month, Sweeney made an appearance on SNL and made a joke about how people tend to look at her body in a sexual manner. She played a Hooters waitress in a skit where she excelled at her job due to her attractive appearance. A columnist on the right-wing went as far as to claim ownership over Sweeney’s body, stating in the conservative newspaper National Post that her attractiveness goes against progressive beliefs. It seems that people on the left who advocate for diverse ideas of beauty are unable to accept anything larger than a B-cup. Despite this, Sweeney’s fight for bodily autonomy in her role in Immaculate goes beyond the movie itself and surpasses what most low-budget films could achieve.
We encounter Sweeney’s Sister Cecilia during her journey to Italy, where she is greeted by two male border agents who openly scrutinize her appearance. They converse in Italian and remark on the perceived pity of her dedicating her body to Christ. Despite not yet understanding the language, Cecilia understands their meaning. Her devout and modest mannerisms seem to be her unspoken answer.
Cecilia is searching for her spiritual calling while relocating to a convent in the gothic countryside of Italy. This convent serves as a retirement and palliative care for elderly nuns, creating an atmosphere of death. Immaculate, the main character, senses the presence of death even before encountering creepy shadows lurking at night. The director, Michael Mohan, portrays the violent scenes of nuns being attacked with a stomach-churning intensity.
The movie Immaculate is not immune to the more basic pleasures that a nunsploitation film can offer. Director Mohan, using a screenplay written by Andrew Lobel, takes pleasure in using typical horror tactics, physical deformities, and old-fashioned genre clichés. These scenes can be both comical and rejuvenating. Unlike the serious tone of the popular “elevated horror” trend, there is a carefree attitude in this film, embracing the influence of both high and low sources, such as Suspiria and The Stepford Wives.
However, Mohan’s style also evokes memories of Jaume Collet-Serra’s earlier work, such as House of Wax and The Shallows. Both directors are skilled in the genre and their visual decisions are purposeful rather than formulaic. In Immaculate, Mohan often juxtaposes elegant shots with gruesome close-ups. For example, when a nun jumps from the roof of the convent, we are drawn in closer to see her disfigured face as it hits the pavement.
Producer Sweeney, who worked on Immaculate, asked Mohan to direct the film. Mohan had previously directed her in The Voyeurs, a playful yet effective nod to Rear Window and 90s erotic thrillers such as Basic Instinct. In The Voyeurs, which, like Immaculate, is reminiscent of Verhoeven’s style, Mohan cast Sweeney as a female character who is not merely objectified, but also possesses a powerful, alluring gaze. Mohan, as a filmmaker, is fixated on the potential of Sweeney’s eyes, which are incredibly compelling. We can all recall her captivating, piercing stare in The White Lotus.
Observe their reactions in Immaculate: how they experience fear or show signs of defeat; and how, when Sister Cecilia challenges the patriarchal system during the powerful “my body, my choice” portion of her remarkable journey, Sweeney’s eyes become steely with a fierce determination that seems deeply personal.
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The film “Immaculate” will be released in US and UK theaters on March 22nd, and in Australia on March 21st.
Source: theguardian.com
