The Nun

The Nun is a 2013 French drama film directed by Guillaume Nicloux. It is based on the 18th-century novel La Religieuse by French writer Denis Diderot. The film premiered in competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival. It received two nominations at the 4th Magritte Awards, winning Best Actress for Pauline Étienne, and a nomination at the 39th César Awards. Production companies included Les Films du Worso, Belle Epoque Films and Versus Production. Plot Taking place in the 1760s France, a young girl named Suzanne Simonin is forced by her parents to become a nun. She learns that as an illegitimate child, she is expected to atone for her mother's sin. Her abbess treats her kindly, but when the abbess dies and another takes her place, Suzanne considers breaking her vows. Due to the maltreatment and physical abuse she undergoes, she is thrown into a world of punishment in which she suffers dehumanization. Suzanne is filled with despair and mental torment. It is not until a friend gives Suzanne some hope that she may not have to remain a nun forever and that Suzanne's punishment lifts. Cast Pauline Étienne as Suzanne Simonin Isabelle Huppert as Abbess Saint Eutrope Louise Bourgoin as Abbess Christine Martina Gedeck as Suzanne's mother Françoise Lebrun as Madame de Moni Agathe Bonitzer as Sister Thérèse Alice de Lencquesaing as Sister Ursule Gilles Cohen as Suzanne's father Marc Barbé as Father Castella François Négret as Maître Manouri Nicolas Jouhet as clergyman Sainte Marie Pascal Bongard as Archdeacon Fabrizio Rongione as Father Morante