Immaculate proves that Sidney Sweeney is our most interesting movie star

Nobody does it like Sidney Sweeney, our most distinguished young movie star. Riding the growing fame of White lotus And tranceits real star turn technically began at the end of 2023 with the release of Anyone but you, a raunchy romantic comedy that turned into a massive box office success. After that, she starred in the terrible and ridiculous film Madame Webbut he managed to come out on the other side not only unscathed, but walked away with an A-list card, joking about the film’s failure to Saturday Night Live Just weeks after its opening. Her next big win is Immaculate, very clean, very organizeda strange, wonderful, and utterly entertaining new horror film coming to theaters later this March.

Immaculate, very clean, very organized The film begins with American nun Cecilia (Sweeney), who moves to a quaint little convent in Italy that specializes in end-of-life care for her sisters in the faith. But everything is out of reach. There are people walking around in red masks, curt sisters questioning her actions, and somewhat friendly priests. After a few short days of difficult care work, Cecilia mysteriously became pregnant. Everyone in the monastery declares that she brings the second coming of Jesus Christ. Cecilia’s life gets weirder from there.

From the beginning, Immaculate, very clean, very organized Director Michael Mohan It fully commits to delivering an exploitation film of extravagant depravity. There may not be any explicit sex in the film, but there are long scenes of nuns bathing in tight white dresses, and priests lurking around every corner questioning Cecilia about her virginal status – just to verify the purity and truth of their coming. Savior of course. Immaculate, very clean, very organized It also contains more blood, guts, and gore than most action movies these days. All of these little elements are the hallmarks of 1970s nun exploitation, the branch of horror that places a particular emphasis on fabric.

The film’s only real break from its roots comes in form: it’s simply a better-made, more gorgeous film than most of the films that inspired it. Mohan captures beautiful moments of haunting symmetry around the convent and uses the camera to make Cecilia look and feel completely isolated, especially when her religious colleagues begin to worship and dress her like a haunted imitation of Mary. The film is full of mood and carefully paced horror that is more sustained than sustained, with a plot-driven ending that never lives up to the film’s conspiratorial promise. The good news is, in true exploitation fashion, the film’s final moments are harrowing, dark, and perfect.

Although nunploitation films appear every now and then, the erotica genre is still extremely rare, and certainly not what we would consider star vehicles for one of Hollywood’s biggest up-and-coming actresses. However, Sidney Sweeney does his best, sporting a prosthetic carrying stomach, ready to be covered in blood from head to toe, and being an absolute star every second of the movie. And it’s all impressively unflashy. This is a part that demands widespread confusion and terror, and Sweeney plays it without a hint of arrogance or desperation, confident enough in her star power not to reveal the strength and competence of her character until it becomes absolutely necessary.

Looking back, an interesting and easily overlooked choice is Sweeney’s MO. After her distinguished role on HBO tranceshe starred in Mohan’s previous film, a fun and dirty sexy thriller called Peepers. She played a reality winner in Max’s movie reality, a bolder acting presentation that feels like a made-for-TV classic. You’ve now followed up the successful R-rated rom-com with a very enjoyable nunsploitation movie. It’s the most amazing career for anyone her age, and she’s absolutely captivating to watch, regardless of genre.

While actors like Florence Pugh and Saoirse Ronan have a greater success rate in terms of prestige, the importance of The Sweeney’s success should not be underestimated. But we need much more from our movie stars than just “great acting.” Sometimes, all a movie star needs to do is be the best part of the dozens of movies you’ve enjoyed watching. This is the kind of movie stardom that Sidney Sweeney seems to be chasing. Sweeney is like a movie star transported from a completely different era. Instead of the stardom enjoyed by most actors her age, she seems more interested in following in the footsteps of new Hollywood greats like Susan Sarandon, or if that’s her next movie. Barbarella The remake is any indication, Jane Fonda, that she takes on weird and wonderful roles that often require more than just charm and drama. And it works.

Immaculate, very clean, very organized In theaters March 22.