Immaculate is now in theaters, and Madame Web star Sydney Sweeney's new religious-themed horror movie has been raising a few eyebrows due to its pretty shocking (even by today's standards) ending.
We've already shared a breakdown of the film's final scene (more here), and director Michael Mohan has now weighed-in on the decision to have Sweeney's character, Cecilia, take such extreme measures after giving birth to her convent's "messiah."
Mohan notes that the original script, which was written over a decade ago, had a "traditional happy-ish ending,” but he felt that the conclusion presented an opportunity to get people talking.
“When I read the script I was just like, ‘She’s got to kill that baby,’” he tells The Wrap. “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 the theater.”
Even so, the filmmaker wants to make it clear that he's not trying to make a political statement on reproductive rights.
“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,” he added. “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.”
While there has been some backlash to the movie (hardly surprising), many have embraced the ending and what it represents, and there have been reports of audiences being very vocal after witnessing the... brutal death of an infant.
“There’s something so beautiful to hear people, as she picks up the rock, and they’re going ‘Yes!’” he said. “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.”
Sweeney recently took to Instagram to share some behind-the-scenes photos from her time working on the movie.
"Made a little movie in Italy last year with the help of some incredible people," Sweeney captioned her post. "To my entire cast and crew, I cant thank you enough for such an amazing experience. none of this would have been possible without your trust, hard work, and fun crazy energy. watching this movie come to life after so many years has been a dream come true. now I’m probably gonna spam my insta with some pics and there’s fake blood so I’m sorry in advance but it’s a horror film and you can’t not be drenched in blood. Ok byeeee love you!"
Jonathan Davino for Fifty-Fifty Films produced with Sweeney, alongside Middle Child Pictures’ David Bernad, who developed the project with the actress following their work together on The White Lotus. Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Heimler produced for Black Bear, which fully financed and represented the international sales rights. Black Bear’s John Friedberg and Christopher Casanova served as executive producers, alongside Will Greenfield.
Immaculate marks the second recent collaboration with Neon and Black Bear after Michael Mann’s Ferrari, which hit theaters Christmas Day. Neon’s 2024 slate also includes Sean Baker’s new romantic drama Anora and Pamela Adlon’s directorial debut, Babes, starring Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau.
Directed by Michael Mohan and written by Andrew Lobel, Immaculate also stars Alvaro Morte (Money Heist), Benedetta Porcaroli (Baby), and Dora Romano (The Hand of God).
Do you plan on seeing this one on the big screen, or will you wait for streaming? Let us know in the comments section down below.