''The Nun'' (french: La Religieuse) is a 2013 French

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Guillaume Nicloux Guillaume Nicloux (born 3 August 1966) is a French novelist, director and actor. He is the founder of the theatre company La Troupe. He has written crime fiction and directed films for cinema and French television. He won the Best Screenplay Awar ...

. It is based on the 18th-century novel ''La Religieuse'' by French writer

Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the ''Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a promine ...

. The film premiered in competition at the

63rd Berlin International Film Festival The 63rd annual Berlin International Film Festival took place in Berlin, Germany between 7 and 17 February 2013. Chinese film director Wong Kar-wai was announced as the President of the Jury and his film '' The Grandmaster'' was the opening film ...

. It received two nominations at the 4th Magritte Awards, winning

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

for

Pauline Étienne Pauline Étienne (born 26 June 1989) is a Belgian actress who has received numerous awards for her acting. Her notable films include ''Le Bel Âge'' and ''Silent Voice (2009 film), Silent Voice'', for which she won the Lumières Award for Most P ...

, and a nomination at the

39th César Awards The 39th Annual César Awards ceremony, presented by the French Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques (Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma), was held on 28 February 2014, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. ''Me, Myself and Mum'' rec ...

. Production companies included Les Films du Worso, Belle Epoque Films and Versus Production.

Plot

Taking place in the 1760s France, a young girl named Suzanne Simonin is forced by her parents to become a nun. She learns that as an illegitimate child, she is expected to atone for her mother's sin. Her abbess treats her kindly, but when the abbess dies and another takes her place, Suzanne considers breaking her vows. Due to the maltreatment and physical abuse she undergoes, she is thrown into a world of punishment in which she suffers dehumanization. Suzanne was filled with despair and mental torment. It is not until a friend gives Suzanne some hope that she may not have to remain a nun forever and that Suzanne's punishment lifts.

Cast

as Suzanne Simonin *

Isabelle Huppert Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (; born 16 March 1953) is a French actress. Described as "one of the best actresses in the world", she is known for her portrayals of cold and disdainful characters devoid of morality. She is the recipient of sev ...

as Abbess Saint Eutrope *

Louise Bourgoin Louise Bourgoin (; born Ariane Louise Bourgoin, 28 November 1981) is a French actress, model and television presenter. Life and career She was born on 28 November 1981 in Rennes. Bourgoin's parents, both secondary level teachers, encouraged ...

as Abbess Christine *

Martina Gedeck Martina Gedeck (; born 14 September 1961) is a German actress. She came to broader, international attention due to her roles in films such as '' Mostly Martha'' (2001), ''The Lives of Others'' (2006), and ''The Baader Meinhof Complex'' (2008). Sh ...

as Suzanne's mother *

Françoise Lebrun Françoise Lebrun (born 18 August 1944) is a French actress. She has appeared in many movies, and is especially known for her role as Veronika in Jean Eustache's ''The Mother and the Whore'' (1973). She has worked with other directors including ...

as Madame de Moni *

Agathe Bonitzer Agathe Bonitzer (born 24 April 1989) is a French actress. She has appeared in more than twenty films since 1996. Career In August 2018, it was announced that Bonitzer would star in the Netflix science fiction series ''Osmosis''. The series prem ...

as Sister Thérèse *

Alice de Lencquesaing Alice de Lencquesaing (; born 11 August 1991) is a French actress who appeared in Mia Hansen-Løve's 2009 film '' Father of My Children'' with her father Louis-Do de Lencquesaing. Her mother is cinematographer Caroline Champetier Caroline Champe ...

as Sister Ursule * Gilles Cohen as Suzanne's father *

Marc Barbé Marc Barbé (born 6 May 1961) is a French film actor. He has appeared in more than fifty films. Selected filmography References External links * 1961 births Living people Actors from Nancy, France French male film actors {{Fr ...

as Father Castella * François Négret as Maître Manouri * Nicolas Jouhet as clergyman Sainte Marie *

Pascal Bongard Pascal Bongard is a Swiss film actor. He has appeared in more than forty films since 1984. Selected filmography References External links * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bongard, Pascal Living people Swiss male film actors Swiss male televisio ...

as Archdeacon *

Fabrizio Rongione Fabrizio Rongione (born 3 March 1973) is a Belgian screenwriter, film producer and actor. Career Rongione was born in Brussels, Belgium of Italian descent. He collaborated with Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne in ''Rosetta'' (1999), '' L’Enfant'' ...

as Father Morante

Reception

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' Jordan Mintzer highlighted that director Nicloux and his co-writer Beaujour breathed new life into the classic story by making the protagonist "much more of a fighting spirit" and by adding a "revised ending". He said this film was "held together by a terrific lead performance". ''Variety'''s Boyd van Hoeij certified the film was "slickly assembled" and frequently provided a "painting-like" cinematography. ''Cine Vues Patrick Gamble judged ''The Nun'' suffered from an "inability to deviate from absurdity".

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official Press Kit The Nun
at UniFrance films * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nun, The 2013 films 2013 drama films Belgian drama films French drama films 2010s French-language films Denis Diderot Films scored by Max Richter Films about Catholic nuns Films about clerical celibacy Films about sexual repression Films based on French novels Films critical of the Catholic Church Films directed by Guillaume Nicloux Films set in the 1760s Films set in France Films set in convents Les Films du Worso films French-language Belgian films 2010s French films Le Pacte films