Adapted from Denis Diderot’s classic of French literature, the film charts the rebellion and tragic fate of Suzanne Simonin (Pauline Etienne), a young woman from a bourgeois family who is cloistered away in a convent against her will after discovering she is an illegitimate child.
After receiving some comfort and understanding from the Mother Superior, Suzanne is soon at the mercy of a sadistic woman (Louise Bourgoin). Tormented by her Sisters, Suzanne tries everything to get her vows annulled; is transferred to another convent; and plans her daring escape…
Superbly cast and lovingly, meticulously adapted for the screen, this is a worthy companion to Jacques Rivette’s controversial 1966 adaptation of the same novel. Riveting.