Before she was pumping it up in the Oscar nominated body horror film The Substance, one of Margaret Qualley’s earliest film roles was in the 2017 drama Novitiate. Written and directed by Maggie Betts in her feature debut, Novitiate stars Qualley in her first lead role as Cathleen, an aspiring nun questioning her faith. The film takes place during the 1960s, a pivotal time for the Catholic Church when Pope John XXIII called the Second Vatican Council with the intention of modernizing the church’s practices. In Novitiate, Qualley shows off her potential as a strong dramatic actress, and the film is bolstered by a delightfully terrifying performance from Melissa Leo as the brutal Mother Superior and a brief but impactful performance from the underrated Dianna Agron. Novitiate is a thought-provoking look at the cult-like environment of the fictional Sisters of the Beloved Rose convent and the harmful effects of regressive practices that leave Cathleen and the other postulants lonely, psychologically broken, and terrified to question authority and their faith.
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