Sharing some similarities with The First Omen, here the excellent Sydney Sweeney - also the driving force behind getting the film made - plays Sister Cecelia, a young devout American nun who travels to a convent in rural Italy but - as a virgin - soon finds herself inexplicably pregnant: immaculate conception, or something more sinister? Effectively structured through the trimesters, Cecelia's journey becomes more visceral and unpleasant as truths are revealed. The film is directed and edited with care and precision with good construction and visual flow, under-lit (sometimes a little too much) to create a gloomy and claustrophobic feel. Close-Ups and Extreme Close-Ups abound, with a soundtrack that mixes modern sinister synths with old-school Euro-score stylings, giving an overall feel of classic Italian horror/thriller films mixed with more modern genre elements. Likewise, Sweeney's central performance is focused and very well controlled, conveying an effective mix of naiveté and religious purpose that is slowly broken down. The full-on third act leads to a provocative and interesting ending.
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