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Set in the early 1960s and during the era of Vatican II, the movie centers on a 17-year-old who trains to become a nun as the Roman Catholic Church undergoes radical changes.
14 September 1960, New York City, New York, USA
20 August 1995, Galveston, Texas, USA
29 October 1953, Austin, Texas, USA
23 October 1994, Montana, USA
6 August 1968, Louisville, Mississippi, USA
December 08, 2017
Novitiate is a rare film about religion that neither bludgeons a viewer into accepting an ideology nor treats believers as misguided simpletons.November 15, 2017
In Leo, it presents a remarkable portrait of a complex woman struggling with forces beyond her control.November 10, 2017
[Reverend Mother Leo's] countenance alternates between a stony smile and a twisted snarl, except for the moments when the changes wrought by Vatican II threaten to loosen her iron grip over her young charges. Then she simply goes to pieces.November 16, 2017
"Novitiate" is challenging, uncomfortable, violent, simple in its message about transformative mind control imposed on youth, superbly acted and technically flawless.November 09, 2017
There are times when Novitiate tests the viewer's endurance - it's a beautifully shot movie, but it runs more than two hours, and lingering compositions of silent nuns and novitiates start to feel unsupported by the story.November 27, 2017
"Novitiate" is a thoughtful and sincere rendering of the devout religious caught up in the changing times of modern society.November 26, 2017
First-time writer/director Maggie Betts mostly manages to involve viewers in exploring why young ladies actually might want to take the spiritual plunge.November 29, 2017
Questions of faith and devotion are explored with sensitivity and grace in Novitiate, a quietly moving drama about nuns on the cusp of great change.December 05, 2017
There's a terrific ensemble cast and strong period piece work (especially costume work of the wedding dresses representing marriage to God) at play in NovitiateNovember 25, 2017
A quiet and methodical narrative, "Novitiate" requires patience, but the reward is great.November 16, 2017
Most films, especially mainstream ones, are about the forces that whirl around characters. "Novitiate" grapples with what's going on inside them.November 09, 2017
The film raises interesting questions, but the answers remain elusive, and whether that makes for a compelling cinematic experience is entirely in the eye of the beholder.