Black Narcissus

Drama | English | 100 minutes

Info

Sister Clodagh (designated the Sister Superior) and four other nuns are sent to a remote Himalayan village to set up a school and hospital. They encounter problems from the get-go: needed maintenance on the old creaky building, skeptical Hindu locals, and dealing with Angu Ayah, the irascible caretaker. The isolation and difficult circumstances affect each nun in a different way. Most extreme is the emotionally unstable Sister Ruth who becomes sexually obsessed with Mr. Dean, the general agent for the building. Meanwhile, Sister Clodagh remembers a failed romance while living in Ireland prompting her to join the order. The Sisters hire Kanchi, a local woman, to help out. Sister Clodagh confronts Sister Ruth when she observes her wearing a modern dress and heading to see Mr. Dean. Mr. Dean rejects Sister Ruth’s advances. Ruth has a mental breakdown as she approaches Sister Clodagh for an angry showdown.

Cast

Deborah Kerr (Sister Clodagh) / Kathleen Byron (Sister Ruth) / David Farrar (Mr. Dean) / Jean Simmons (Kanchi) / May Hallatt (Angu Ayah)

Why Stream This Film?

Peter Bradshaw, film critic for The Guardian stated that “BLACK NARCISSUS was his all-time top 10 favorite film.”

Rotten Tomatoes Score (Critics Consensus): 100%
Metacritic Score: 86

Accolades

75th Venice Film Festival, Winner, Golden Lion
Ten Academy Award Nominations. Winner: Best Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director (Alfonso Cuarón), Best Cinematographer (Alfonso Cuarón)
Festivals: Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York
Best Film of 2018: Time Magazine and The New York Film Critics Circle

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