A Tale of Tragedy

Bad things are happening at an isolated monastery.

The peaceful and disciplined lifestyle is disturbed for a group of nuns after members begin dying under mysterious circumstances. The terrible events cause tension in the abbey and the abbess tries to maintain order. However, it becomes apparent that the threat might be within the community.

This dramatic dark psychological horror film has an interesting plot and it is rather intriguing that the protagonists are nuns. The screenplay explores the life of a nun and also looks at themes regarding religion and emotional support. The main focus is the emotional effect that the deaths have on the nuns, spreading fear among them and making some of them reconsider the way they live their life. The head of the nuns is the only one who makes efforts to keep it together, although that seems hopeless. The narrative begins with suspense and heavy drama and gradually moves towards the supernatural.

The acting is very strong and Clarke does a rather convincing job as the strong, undeterred superior of the nuns. McArthur and Tomilova are emotional as the nuns who are internally disintegrating.

The majority of the story takes place inside the worship hall and the mise-en-scene there looks great. Praise also goes to the clothing, which is the result of work by Alma Conway and Clara Gelston. James Taylor provides wonderful cinematography and there are creative lighting techniques. The soundtrack consists of songs by various artists, all of which successfully create a dramatic and dreadful atmosphere.

This is a short horror film that is very well acted and directed and the script includes well-written dialogue and interesting vocabulary. The general atmosphere is downbeat, with little hope that things will change for the better. It is a dark and frightening story which finishes with a bang thanks to a heart-stopping final.