I liked this movie for two reasons. One is Valerie Bertinelli. She brings warmth and believability to the role. The second reason is that the movie is like a piece of my own life. I entered the convent at age 18 (having spent 4 years in a boarding high school exclusively for girls who wanted to be nuns) and left after first vows but prior to final vows. I find the movie accurately depicts the transition time of the Catholic Church in the late 60's. It's like watching a home movie. The Grand Silence; the enforced Recreation Hour. It's great. We went from being cloistered to having regular jobs with lots of contact with outsiders. We fell in love at times. I know of 3 marriages of nuns and priests who worked together. For those of us who didn't marry priests but still left the convent, the movie offers an accurate view of the shock of living life without a Mother House. It's lonely, challenging (how to be age 23 and manage money when one has never been allowed to hold money) and yet exhilarating.
