The Nun's Story (1959)

Fig.1 Sister What-A-Waste

Despite myself (myself being agnostic and entirely ultra-unorthodox any type of religion), I always find myself deeply interested in and awed by nuns. And there are none so effortlessly watchable and interesting than Audrey Hepburn in "The Nun's Story" (1959). It's based on the novel of the same name in which a Belgian woman decides to dedicate her life to God as a bride of Christ, hoping to bring her experience and expertise as a nurse to the convent with the ultimate dream of getting assigned to a charity hospital in the Congo.

When I saw the description on my DVR, I immediately thought, "OMG is THIS the film that explains that cockatiel photo?!"

Fig.2 OMG HEPBURN AND COCKATIEL I LOVE COCKATIELS

Honestly, I only wanted to watch it to have the chance at seeing Audrey handling cockatiels.

*SPOILER ALERT*
Audrey doesn't handle any cockatiels.

So barring that little disappointment, I ADORED THIS FILM.

There's something so endlessly intriguing to me about the lives of the uber religious. Sometimes, they're wackos whose ultimate dream is to enslave all of humanity until they all believe in JESUS or ALLAH or L. RON HUBBARD or whatever, but most times, they're quite thoughtful and humanitarian folks who find humbling themselves before God a very rewarding experience. I find reading or watching movies about their lifestyles a very rewarding experience.

For example, this film chronicles how Audrey's character, Sister Luke, is expected to progress through various levels of servitude to her order. The behind-the-altar rituals and lessons are fascinating. I especially loved seeing the everyday duties she had to carry out, such as remaining silent all day, writing down her thoughts in a little notebook, asking for forgiveness in front of a whole room of silently judging nuns, and attending to the patients at the clinic. She couldn't even speak to the patients--she could only nod and smile, lest she'd have to confess her sin to the mother superior. She was required to sleep and dress in a "cell" that consisted of little more than white curtains separating a bed and a washstand.

Fig.3 Mass marriage

At an important point in the plot, she is about to take her nursing exam, and one of her superiors advised her to humbly fail the test so she could rid herself of her pride. She couldn't bring herself to do it, so she is punished with an assignment that was less than desirable: minding a sanitarium ward.

Eventually, she is humbled enough to be assigned to the Congo and she travels there with enthusiasm.  When she gets there, she's shown the impoverished local villagers and she truly enjoys meeting them, but then she is disappointed again when she is told that she has to work in the white people hospital. Blargh. White people.

Fig. 4 Co-worker anxiety

She clashes with the surgeon, who is an atheist and thinks the nuns are silly, but there's also all this sexual tension. He chides her, saying that she could be so much more useful as a REAL nurse. Maybe he was really thinking that she could be more useful IN HIS BED. Anyway, she begins to really re-think the whole nun thing.

*SPOILER ALERT* When WWII breaks out and her father dies, her superiors tell her to remain neutral. Since she cannot betray her own conscience and do nothing to help the war effort, she leaves the convent, in a both awkward and equally uplifting final scene.

Fig.5 Yet another animal she does not handle in this film

Audrey got her third Oscar nomination for "The Nun's Story" and a well-deserved one at that. She is the very picture of subtle emotion and nuanced acting. She proves over and over again that she is not simply a pretty face. Her performance of this inspiring proto-feminist character made me examine my own loyalty and devotion in life, love, and passion. It's a moving, beautiful story about the human spirit and following your own heart towards helping others in this fucked-up world.

Figs. 6 & 7 OMG MORE COCKATIELS