Program Note
Most famous for his massively successful Saw sequels, Darren Lynn Bousman has developed a gritty style to entice viewers into his terrifying features. His latest is set in 1957 in Georgia, U.S.A., and centres on a young pregnant woman called Mary (Sabrina Kern) who seeks refuge in a local convent having left home to avoid her abusive and drunken father after the death of her younger brother, while her boyfriend isn’t in a position despite the best of his intentions to support her and their baby. But it soon becomes apparent that the group of nuns led by Mother Superior (Carolyn Hennesy) are exploiting the vulnerability of the young women they house. Enforcing a strict code of conduct where disobedience results in cruel punishment, the callous nuns have their own agenda. Mary has no choice but to find a way out of the trap she inadvertently walked into. With much of the story set in the secluded convent, the increase in tension is carefully constructed allowing the characters to be properly developed and resonate while the female-driven narrative is also injected with a number of frightening and well-orchestrated scenes leading to a pulsating climax. (Jason BECHERVAISE)