73
Metascore
30 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91IndieWireKate ErblandIndieWireKate ErblandBoth introspective and entertaining, Betts never forgets that her young nuns are still teenage girls, and Novitiate rings as true as any other film about coming of age.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranNovitiate sure-handedly takes us inside the world of belief with care, concern and a piercing, discerning eye.
- 75New York PostSara StewartNew York PostSara StewartHoly moly, Melissa Leo makes a scary Mother Superior.
- 70Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternGradually, though, it wins you over with endearing performances and a clarity of purpose. If that sounds faintly patronizing, it isn’t meant to.
- 70The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottMs. Betts refrains from easy, uplifting answers and facile condemnations of organized religion. Aided by Kat Westergaard’s warm, restrained cinematography, she takes the viewer close to an understanding of Cathleen’s evolving sense of her relationship with God.
- 67The Film StageJohn FinkThe Film StageJohn FinkA stronger character investment up front would have led to a fuller character study as we watch Cathleen walk through the fire.
- 67The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloBetts appears to have started out with a rather mundane idea and then stumbled, over the course of her research, onto something much more fruitful. The result is as intriguing and frustrating as that suggests.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreNovitiate is very much a mixed-bag of a movie, condemned by the fanatic at The Catholic Legion of Decency, but too revealing and realistic to discard outright, too heartfelt to fail to move, at times.
- 63Slant MagazinePeter GoldbergSlant MagazinePeter GoldbergThe film's meditative and excessive sides never quite cohere, giving the impression of watching two distinct films that are jostling against each other, rather than united in a single story.
- 60Village VoiceBilge EbiriVillage VoiceBilge EbiriThere’s a lot of great filmmaking in Novitiate, but there’s also quite a bit still missing.