Sister Hell [Review]

I’ve been pretty pumped for Sister Hell since Autumn Harvest and Angst, Piss & Drid, both of which I had high expectations for. Neither were what I expected, but in the most pleasant of ways.

This time I viewed Sister Hell with no expectations, realizing that Mr. Hana has a knack for creating the most unpredictable, yet unbelievably beautiful and artistic films possible.  As I said in my previous reviews of his works, Fredrik S. Hana’s movies are more of a visual version of a poetic puzzle. He doesn’t lay out a story in front of you that is plain and simple; he forces you to ponder the meaning and see the story behind the story that is being presented.  At least that is how I felt upon my viewings.  What impresses me is that I’ve watched all of his films several times, and almost each time I leave with a different type of insight or meaning behind what he has presented.

Sister Hell is within his normal style but by far his best work yet, story-wise and visually.  As usual, upon my first viewing I had goosebumps throughout it’s entirety, and was left with an unnerving yet satisfied feeling in my gut.  I didn’t feel quite right for a period of time after watching it, but that just made it all the more interesting.

On the outside, Sister Hell is a short film about a young nun who decides to act upon her urge to discover her sexuality and does what she feels will make her feel and look beautiful.  However, her actions come with dire consequences when her church decides to punish her for her sins. The feeling it gave me was not so much about a runaway nun and her adventures of body modification, or a retaliating church, but more of a caricature on what we are taught is right or wrong, what we are told will bring us happiness, and a pondering of what truly is a sin.  If something makes you happy, why is it bad just because others, or religion, tells you it is?

With very unique visuals, amazing special effects, great acting, and an incredibly well presented story, I feel that Sister Hell is absolutely Fredrik S. Hana’s finest work and he keeps his title of my favorite director of our time.

In case you can’t tell, Sister Hell is a must see.  You will surely have that “WTF” feeling afterwards.  It may not make sense at first, but really try to think about the poetry that is being presented to you.  The mix of deep messages and off-the-wall visuals makes this a film that you’re sure to enjoy.