The Euphoria breakout goes all-in with a fun, nasty slab of nunsploitation that also acts as commentary on female bodily autonomy
Some movie stars disappear behind their roles. Not Sydney Sweeney. The Euphoria and Anyone But You actor is the kind of familiar presence whose pop cultural imprint is so large that it threatens to trample over her characters. It doesn’t help that Sweeney rarely if ever switches up her distinct millennial drawl or the endearingly self-conscious way she carries herself, which practically breaks the illusion and invites the conflation between her own public persona and the people she plays.
For some movies, that could be detrimental. But Immaculate, a fun and nasty little throwback to Rosemary’s Baby and giallo films like Suspiria, is all the better for it. Sweeney, who somehow avoided a scream queen role for so long, plays dress-up as a virginal young nun. Her Sister Cecilia mysteriously becomes pregnant and is then imprisoned by a rabid convent that believes she’s carrying the second coming.
