Immaculate’s Shocking Ending Explained By Director

Warning: This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Immaculate.

Summary

• Director Michael Mohan defends the ending of
  Immaculate
  , explaining that the shocking twist offers a sense of catharsis to the audience after its complex storyline.
• Mohan believes the baby’s death in the last scene of
  Immaculate
  reflects current societal anger and struggles with faith.
• Mohan hopes
  Immaculate
  ‘s controversial ending will ignite conversation and evoke a strong emotional response from viewers, regardless of their interpretation.

Michael Mohan, the director of Immaculate, is ready to explain its shocking ending. Starring Sydney Sweeney, the movie follows a young nun who discovers that she has experienced an immaculate conception. With her virgin birth on the way, she quickly discovers that her convent is not quite what she believes, as she uncovers numerous secrets and realizes that her baby may not be the second coming. In the final scene, she murders her child, after finally uncovering the truth about the convent.

Immaculate‘s horrifying and shocking ending may have surprised audiences, but Mohan felt that it was the only way for the story to move forward. In an interview with The Wrap, Mohan explained that the baby’s death offers viewers a “sense of catharsis” after a long and complex storyline. While he does not ascribe a political motive to the attack, he does state that audiences can walk away with whatever view they prefer. Check out his full quote below:

When I read the script I was just like, ‘She’s got to kill that baby’. Everyone right now struggles with faith, right? There’s a lot of people [who] are angry out there and I want this film to bottle up that sense of anger and give them that sense of catharsis leaving of the theater…

When we set out to make the movie the most important thing was that it was a rollercoaster ride, first and foremost, and people can get on the ride. But if people choose to read into it, which they can do… The goal isn’t to change anybody’s mind. The goal is to ignite a conversation. That’s the best thing we can hope for…

There’s something so beautiful to hear people, as she picks up the rock, and they’re going ‘Yes!’ Everyone’s rooting for Sydney to murder whatever it, whether it’s a baby, whether it’s a genetic abnormality, or whether that baby represents an idea. She’s murdering it in the most brutal way possible. She’s putting it out of its misery and then the movie’s over. I’m so proud of it.

Why Did Sister Cecilia Kill Her Baby?

Throughout Immaculate, Sweeney’s Sister Cecilia struggles with her pregnancy. She fears that Father Tedeschi and the other nuns will murder her after her baby is born, as they have been brutally attacking each other to prevent her from uncovering their secrets. The movie is so violent that the other nuns tear out a worshiper’s tongue to prevent her from sharing the truth with Sister Cecilia. Murdering her child could be Cecilia’s response to that horror.

Another reason for Cecilia’s actions is that she never wanted the pregnancy at all. As a member of a convent, she was sworn to celibacy and never intended to have a child. Her pregnancy was completely forced. The discovery that Father Tedeschi was using her as a vessel for a genetic experiment only made circumstances more dangerous and terrifying for Cecilia. The unwanted pregnancy and experimentation undoubtedly contributed to her decision, as her autonomy was violated by the convent.

Immaculate
is currently in theaters and is rated R for nudity, graphic violence, language, and grisly images.

Cecilia was also terrified that she had given birth to a monster. Instead of crying after its birth, the baby was instead gasping with an inhuman voice. After questioning whether she was giving birth to the second coming or to the anti-Christ, Sister Cecilia elected to kill what appeared to be Jesus’ sworn enemy. There were many reasons for Sister Cecilia to kill her baby in Immaculate, and Mohan wants audiences to discuss each explanation in-depth.

Source: The Wrap