Immaculate: Why is there so much talk about Sidney Sweeney ending this movie?

Warning – This article contains spoilers for “Immaculate”.

Sydney Sweeney is everywhere and often where you least expect it. After The Handmaid’s Tale, White Lotus, Euphoria, whose role brought Cassie to the public eye, Madame Web and the successful romantic comedy Everything But You, the 26-year-old car-obsessed American actress (she has a red Ford Bronco from 1969 that she pampers) will show in the horror film from Wednesday Immaculée.

Directed by Michael Mohan, with whom he already collaborated on the thriller Voyeurs in 2021, the feature film is produced by Sydney Sweeney through his company Fifty/Fifty.

She was offered the role of Cassie, a young American sister who has just arrived at a convent in a rural Italy who discovers the story, 10 years ago, but the film was never made. However, the young woman always kept this role in mind. Nine years later, the actor and producer decided to restart the project, contacted the screenwriter, bought the rights from him and hired a director.

An unexpected ending

Sydney Sweeney is not an actress who just waits to be offered roles: she makes things happen. Because the role is not what it seems… In Immaculée, the naive Cecilia from the beginning of the film gradually transforms into a lioness who fights for survival and is determined to take matters into her own hands. He fights against authority until the climax leaves the audience in shock.

A film in the tradition of Dario Argento and Mario Bava giallo and the “non-exploitation” films of the 1970s.

During our meeting with Sydney Sweeney, the latter told us:I really liked the sudden change in the plot. Cecilia embarks on a journey that no one really expects, and not even herself.

It was a very rough and intense experience.

Regarding the ending, the actor explains:We shot it in one take and there was no rehearsal or preparation. It was just a matter of making a plan. I set it up, I knew my moves, and they were like, well, we’ll just shoot and see what happens. We did it once and that’s it. It was a very raw and intense experience.”

Warning, the rest of this article contains spoilers for the ending of Immaculée. Do not proceed if you have not seen the movie.

And this raw and intense experience is definitely felt by the audience and does not come away unscathed. The director chose to shoot Cecilia’s birth with a close-up of Sydney Sweeney’s bloodied face. One need not look beyond the camera to feel the suffering of this innocent nun.

A feminist film

The convent’s priests, especially Father Sal Tedeschi (Alvaro Morte), use her body (like the other sisters) to raise the Christ child… They think they’ve managed to clone Christ’s DNA from her hair. Found on one of the nails of the Holy Cross. Therefore, Cecilia appears to be pregnant with Christ.

Men gave her drugs to induce insemination, then questioned her word when she said she hadn’t had sex. This is the real heart of the film: what men do to women against their will. Immaculée challenges patriarchal society and the way women are treated.

After taking revenge on her tormentors, Cecilia finds herself alone in the village to give birth to an unwanted child, and this is where a shocking scene takes place…

After giving birth, we hear the breathing of a genetically recreated being without ever seeing it. So we don’t know if this is a human baby (was that really Jesus Christ’s hair on a nail?). Cecilia then takes the rock and brings it down on the “descendant of God”. The film ends with this shocking sequence.

This last shot takes the whole movie to the next level. If throughout the film Cecilia was at the mercy of the priests and other sisters, here she regains her autonomy by choosing to regain control of her body and life.

Immaculée is a film with a clear message: it’s up to women to decide what to do with their bodies. They do not have to endure decisions made by men against their will.

The film presented at the SXSW festival – and more specifically its ending – did not leave the public indifferent. at the end of the show, – said the actor “NoWe wanted you to jump in your seats and get scared before you were still interested in the story, and it delivered.”

“It’s one of the craziest endings I’ve ever seen.”

The first audience actually walked out of the movie bored at the end of the feature.

“Immaculate may be one of the best religious horror films in a long time. It builds to one of the craziest endings I’ve ever seen, all supported by a great script, great performances, and a beautifully haunting score.”.

“This gritty and gritty pregnancy horror film starring Sydney Sweeney has the most daring ending of any major horror film you’ll see this year. I can’t believe they’ve been there.”

“Immaculate is a slow, gruesome build-up to a living hell! It’s bloody and wild in the best way. That ending is sure to speak to a lot of people.”

Also worn Alvaro Morte (La Casa de papel), Benedetta Porcaroli, Dora Romano, Giorgio Colangeli and Simona Tabasco, Immaculée is currently in cinemas and is prohibited for children under 12 with a warning.