Novitiate

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1:55

Novitiate

R

2017

2h 3m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

107 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

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

Nov 4, 2021

Full Review

Nell Minow

AWFJ.org

Maggie Betts' first feature is remarkably assured, bringing us into a hidden world filled with complex characters struggling with issues of faith, identity, and change.

Nov 4, 2021

Full Review

Kristen Lopez

Spectrum Culture

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

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 20, 2017

Full Review

Diana Tuova

Spotlight on Film

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

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 30, 2024

Full Review

Michael Clark

Epoch Times

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.

Rated: 5/5

Jan 7, 2024

Full Review

Jennifer Merin

AWFJ.org

Writer/director Margaret Betts' fine first feature pulls back the veil on the cloistered lives of nuns and novitiates who enter the convent to devote themselves to Christ.

Nov 4, 2021

Full Review

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Dominique W

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.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

Full Review

Janice M

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/22/23

Full Review

X O

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/07/23

Full Review

Pamela H

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/17/23

Full Review

Ida N

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

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/31/23

Full Review

matthew r

Very well done and intimate look at the life of nuns and the process of becoming a nun prior to the results of the Vatican II. Excellent acting all the way around and a profound look at the nuns and their relationships with their God, their society, with each other and with themselves. Symbolism and ceremony abound without any feeling of being preached to. I heartily recommend.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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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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Novitiate: Trailer 1

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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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