Novitiate

Completed2017123 min

Cathleen enters a convent as a young woman drawn to the promise of religious devotion and a life with a clear purpose. The discipline of…Read more +Read less −

Cathleen enters a convent as a young woman drawn to the promise of religious devotion and a life with a clear purpose. The discipline of becoming a nun offers structure, but it also exposes her to demanding expectations about obedience, sacrifice and the body. As reforms in the Catholic Church unsettle the community around her, Cathleen confronts feelings that cannot be resolved simply by following the rules more carefully. Her emerging sexuality and desire for intimacy become part of a struggle to understand what devotion means. The film follows her experience within a changing institution, placing private longing alongside the authority of women who have built their own identities around a way of life now under question.

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Drama

Sapphic characters & cast

Margaret Qualley

as Sister Cathleen

Main sapphic character

1994-10-23 · ♏ Scorpio

Apple TV credited performer publicity portrait, exact film cast panel

YOUR FIRST LOOK

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Watch trailer on tv.apple.com ↗

BEHIND THE SCENES

Details & credits

Country: United States
Language: English
Premiere: 2018-02-20
Runtime: 123 minutes
Director: Maggie Betts

Film distributor/platform exact-film key art; rights pending editorial review

Artwork source & permission status

Editorial review approved — rights not independently confirmed

Film distributor/platform exact-film key art; rights pending editorial review

Original publication ↗

Sources & editorial notes (6)

Last researched 2026-10-30. Editorially approved.

year: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
genres: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
status: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
country: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
language: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
directors: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
description: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
trailer url: Official film-specific platform Trailers section
watch links: Film-specific official viewing destination; region/entitlement restrictions, playback not performed
western cast: Official exact-film platform edition and credited cast
premiere date: Exact selected platform/territory release date; not necessarily first world premiere
runtime minutes: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
classification note: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
representation type: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence