Novitiate

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1:55

Novitiate

R

2017

2h 3m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

103 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

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 threating 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 life of the Church.

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Critics Consensus

Led by a gripping performance from Melissa Leo, Novitiate grapples uncompromisingly -- and ultimately compellingly -- with questions of faith and feminism.

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Thelma Adams

AARP Movies for Grownups

Nov 4, 2021

Director Margaret Betts offers a beautifully-shot, thoughtful drama, filled with some fine acting, particularly by Melissa Leo.

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Kristen Lopez

Spectrum Culture

Nov 20, 2017

3.5/5

Novitiate is a beguiling movie that requires a thorough examination of your own conscience and connection to religion.

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Calvin Wilson

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Nov 16, 2017

3.5/4

Most films, especially mainstream ones, are about the forces that whirl around characters. "Novitiate" grapples with what's going on inside them.

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Diana Tuova

Spotlight on Film

Jul 30, 2024

3.5/5

What ultimately saves Novitiate from its own self-inflicted wounds is the character of Reverend Mother and Melissa Leo’s performance.

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Michael Clark

Epoch Times

Jan 7, 2024

5/5

Tackling such heady (and polarizing) subjects, such as religion and puberty in the same movie, is a daunting and unenviable task. It’s the cinematic equivalent of sitting on a dry powder keg located next to a raging bonfire.

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Betsy Bozdech

AWFJ.org

Nov 4, 2021

As the postulants, novitiates, and nuns wrestle with everything from the strict daily routine to questions about their sexuality and doubts about their faith and purpose, Betts captures it all with a sure hand.

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Jed I

@RT01296269 Dec 3, 2025

5.0/10 — "Poor"/"Inferior"/"Amateurish" -(Seen on 12/2/25)

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Dominique W

@RT72355930 Mar 23, 2025

I hate to give this film 2 stars, but it didn't really give me anything to rate. I felt like I watched a pilot episode to a really intriguing storyline that got cancelled.

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Janice M

@elizabethjan Nov 22, 2023

It is very depressing. It sounds like they are just submissive to the mother superior. They just break their spirit so they have no mind of their own. It was very informative about the Catholic church. Mostly man made rules. I don't see a lot of what they do in the Bible.

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X O

@RT27220563 Nov 5, 2023

Why I hate, despise, religion. Just the same political shit humanity goes through even outside of religion. Religion is disgauting. The biggest scam ever put on humanity. So much bullsht, like politics is now. There is no peace in religion, except, at best, Shintoism. Hylozoism is very interesting, too. It's so interesting, sadly, how some people gravitate to politics as a means of connection, but only to power, not empowerment. Only weak people do this. Great acting, of course, but so, so, so sad to put anyone through this. Religion is a scam. Get over it. Borne from money. That's the core problem. I feel for humanity and the crap it puts itself through.

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Pamela H

@Pamiejo Oct 17, 2023

Melissa Leo and Margaret Qualley are magnificent in this gripping, disturbing story. For me it was an expose of some of the violence I've witnessed growing up in the Catholic Church. It was very triggering. I spent 3 days in second grade in a Catholic School in the 1950s and the teachings and violence scarred me for life. The whole "bride of Christ" thing with the wedding dresses is almost unwatchable. It is disturbingly grotesque. This is a hard to watch movie, but extremely well done.

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Ida N

@RT07076547 Jul 31, 2023

Superb directing. Although considering the number of characters it would have worked better as a mini-series.

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Maggie Betts

Director

Margaret Qualley

Sister Cathleen

Melissa Leo

Reverend Mother

Julianne Nicholson

Nora Harris

Dianna Agron

Sister Mary Grace

Morgan Saylor

Sister Evelyn

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Synopsis

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 threating 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 life of the Church.

Director: Maggie Betts
Producer: Carole Peterman, Celine Rattray, Trudie Styler
Screenwriter: Maggie Betts
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Maven Pictures
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Some Sexuality)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 27, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 20, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $556.5K
Runtime: 2h 3m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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