Guillaume Nicloux, the director of this 2013 version of the film ‘La religieuse‘ was born in 1966, that is exactly the year that the film of the same name made by Jacques Rivette, starring Anna Karina, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, after a year ofinterdiction due to the protests of the Catholic Church. Both films are adaptations of Denis Diderot’s 18th-century anti-clerical novel, and both take liberties in adapting the story and altering the ending. The comparison between the two films is yet another chapter in the never-ending series of remake debates. In this case, however, there is an essential difference, namely the fact that this is not an American adaptation, Nicloux‘s film being made on the same (‘our, European’) side of the Atlantic Ocean. And yet, compared to the ‘original’, this new adaptation is also less interesting and brings few new and quality elements. ‘La religieuse‘ the 2013 version is not a film without merit, but, paradoxically, it is much more ‘decent’ and brings to screen less sparks and surprises than ‘La religieuse’ the 1966 version.
The general lines of action of the novel are preserved and some scenes have exact correspondents in the two films. Suzanne Simonin is the third daughter in a family that can only afford dowries for her older sisters. Consequently, the parents decide that the girl will be destined for the monastic life. There is an additional, hidden and darker reason for their decision which will be revealed later. The young girl does not feel attracted to the monastery. Although she is completely devoid of life experience she feels that there is a much more meaningful life outside its walls. In addition, the experiences in the convent are traumatic – hypocrisy meets sadism, rigid hierarchies give the most powerful the right to decide the destinies and torment the souls and bodies of the young girls. What should be a world of peace of mind and faith turns for those who cannot adapt into a concentration universe. Attempts to escape, even when they succeed after great pains and efforts, throw the girls into another world, no less cruel and willing to manipulate and exploit them.
Guillaume Nicloux‘s film is visually impressive. Some of the scenes in the monasteries, especially those depicting religious ceremonies are shot from spectacular angles. The costumes are also stylistically appropriate, and the clothing details enhance the feeling of suffocation and even physical torture experienced by the characters who were forced to wear them. The Belgian actress Pauline Etienne undertakes the role of Suzanne brilliantly, a role which in the original version was played by Anna Karina, and is very suitable for the role, both physically and emotionally. Isabelle Huppert adds to her impressive filmography another role of a mature woman with ambiguous and dark corners in her personality – that of Mother Saint-Eutrope. She manages to be effective even though the script was less generous with her, leaving out the explicit aspects of the character’s mental breakdown. Herein lies perhaps the biggest problem with this film. The world outside the convents is just as cruel and has an equal responsibility in the tragic fate of Suzanne and many other girls in her situation. By tweaking the ending in an almost Hollywood-like direction and removing or polishing too much some key scenes, what resulted is a less gritty but also less clear cut version of the story. This version of ‘La religieuse‘ may be more beautiful but is less compelling than the 1966 one.