“Novitiate” stars Academy Award-winner Melissa Leo and Julianne Nicholson and was written and directed by Margaret Betts (winner of the Breakthrough Director Award at the Sundance Film Festival). The film was a major it at the Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals.
Spanning over a decade from the early 1950s through to the mid-60s, “Novitiate” is about a young girl's first initiation with love, in this case with God. Raised by a non-religious, single mother in rural Tennessee, a scholarship to Catholic school soon finds Cathleen drawn into the mystery and romanticism of a life devoted to the worship and servitude of God.
With the dawn of the Vatican II era, radical changes in the Church are threatening the course of nuns’ lives. As she progresses from the postulant to the novitiate stage of training, she finds her faith repeatedly confronted and challenged by the harsh, often inhumane realities of being a servant of God. Cathleen finds herself struggling with issues of faith, sexuality, and recent changes in the life of the Church.
Critics and audiences are raving about “Novitiate”.
“Melissa Leo gives the kind of bravura performance that not only sparks Oscar talk but richly deserves it. Margaret Qualley is a star in the making. She rivets our attention. A potent provocation that’ll get you good.” — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“Ms. Leo’s performance is magnificent.” — Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
“Run, don’t walk to see it. A beautiful, elegant, deeply personal, and intellectually stimulating movie.” — Fareed Zakaria, CNN
“Melissa Leo may be the standout element — this performance becomes a small masterpiece.” — Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
“Filled with superior performances and packed with such rich storytelling.” — Kate Erbland, IndieWire