Mother Joan of the Angels
Thérèse
A Marxist study of the supernatural, filled with austere, sharply photographed black-and-white images, Kawalerowicz's best known film abroad is based on the actual events which occurred at a monastery near Loudun, where a group of nuns experienced a Satanic possession. Through dense dramatic conflicts, expressionistic settings, and powerful performances, Kawalerowicz created a psychologically and philosophically complex allegory of good versus evil and chastity versus eroticism.
Based on the life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun who died at a young age and was later canonized, Alain Cavalier's film offers an observational portrait of a woman driven by divine inspiration. Catherine Mouchet portrays the young nun who devoted her life to her beliefs, only to succumb to tuberculosis at age twenty-four. Cavalier's visual style recalls late Bresson with his use of minimalist props, costumes, and settings, which bring life to this transcendental figure.