Convent of Sinners 1986

France, 1700. Susanna, Eva Grimaldi is a young woman whose life is shattered after a brutal assault by her stepfather. Her mother witnesses the crime and, in distress, urges that Susanna enter a convent, even though the move is against her will. The monastery is a strange, uneasy world where strict rules coexist with troubling undercurrents of desire and power.

The Mother Superior, Aldina Martano, becomes romantically involved with Susanna and makes advances, stirring the jealousy of her former lover Sister Theresa, Karin Well, who had hoped to regain authority within the community. As the Mother Superior’s tuberculosis worsens, Theresa takes temporary command and uses her position to punish Susanna, spreading rumors that she is possessed by the Devil and confining her in squalid conditions. She orders cruelties to isolate and torment the young woman, insisting she is driving out the evil from within.

The Monsignor, Martin Philips, hears rumors of possession and decides to investigate, sending his personal exorcist to the convent. Susanna is restrained, interrogated, and kept in a cell as the inquiry unfolds, while Theresa pushes for harsher, ritualistic measures meant to cleanse her body and soul. After the Mother Superior dies, Susanna is accused of causing her death by witchcraft, setting the stage for a formal trial in which she is charged with consorting with Satan. What follows is a stark exploration of faith under pressure, power struggles within a cloistered world, and a young woman who must endure judgement from both the nuns and church authorities.