As an ex-Catholic, educated in Parochial Schools and an altar boy, rebellious at an early age, I am only too familiar with the guilt and unworthiness feelings so brilliantly portrayed by Suzanne. Marvelous actress.

Potent study of oppression and cruelty ultimately defeated by faith. Pauline Etienne gives an outstanding turn in the lead role and Huppert is given a chance to play a nun! ...of course transgression ensues.

Basada en la novela de Diderot, "La Religiosa" es una cinta atmosférica, macabra y llena de silencios que se enfoca en las penurias que debe afrontar una joven (la excelente Pauline Etienne) que no quiere ser recluída en un convento.

Basada en la novela de Diderot, "La Religiosa" es una cinta atmosférica, macabra y llena de silencios que se enfoca en las penurias que debe afrontar una joven (la excelente Pauline Etienne) que no quiere ser recluída en un convento.

Lenta, sin actuaciones demasiado memorables, un drama que muestra lo corrupto de las instituciones religiosas.

It moves along briskly, but doesn't seem very interested in portraying the horror of the situation. When Isabelle Huppert's Mother Superior shows up, it even moves into blackly hilarious terrain.

Speaking of uniqueness, La religieuse offers not much over the dogmatism of Catholic Church. However, Isabelle Huppert's lustful role, which is a reprisal of her role in La Pianiste, outshines the film.

Just like almost all the french movies, this is slow, but the story is so compelling that it makes you forget it. still it isn't a film for everyone, I think most people could find it gloomy and boring, despite the good acting.

A nigh-perfect film. The sense of balance in this film between the 18th-century tone and the modern issues evoked, between the anti-religious argument and the idea that there is a sense of the holiness, between femininity and purpose of character, between light and shadows, is astonishing and utterly breathtaking. One of the best films I have seen in a long time. Pauline Etienne is splendidly, touchingly beautiful, fragile, stubborn and desperate under Nicloux's camera, sublimated by his work with light.

Pauline Etienne as the heroine is a harmonising centre, believable, luminous, quiet-spoken, poignant.

It's an affecting and frank take on the loneliness of faith as well as faithlessness, whose horrors come in odd contrast to the plush production values.

It's a generally classy yet dramatically underpowered affair traversing a steady path between respectable costume drama and habit-lifting exploitation.

Guillaume Nicloux has, alongside Jérôme Beaujour, crafted a stately and atmospheric adaptation of Denis Diderot's novel, which is driven onwards by a powerful central female performance.

With impressive production design and a strong script, this is an engaging, well made French period drama anchored by a superb performance from Pauline Etienne, though the tone wobbles in the final act and the ending is curiously abrupt.

This is dark but comedic, with plenty of frills beneath the habit.