Sor Angélica Review: Lots of sighing in a dusty convent

Alright, let's get straight to the point about Sor Angélica. Unless you are a hardcore fan of dusty, century-old Spanish melodramas, you should probably skip this one. 😴

It is incredibly slow, and honestly, pretty depressing. But if you have a weird soft spot for silent-era convent tropes and actors who communicate entirely through heavy sighs, you might find some charm in it.

The Melodrama is Real

The whole thing feels like a stage play that someone decided to film on a very tight budget. Most of the movie takes place in dark, drafty rooms where people look very sad about their life choices.

Enriqueta Torres plays the lead, and her main job seems to be looking guilty while holding a rosary. I swear, there is one scene where she just stares at a wooden door for about two minutes straight without blinking. It made my own eyes water just watching her.

The plot is all about secrets, guilt, and religion. It has that same heavy, doom-laden atmosphere you find in The Fall of the House of Usher, but without the cool special effects or spooky houses.

"Why does everyone in this convent look like they just remembered they left the stove on?"

Odd Little Moments

There are some things I noticed that probably weren't supposed to be funny, but they made me chuckle anyway:

• A candle that magically changes height between shots. Continuity was clearly not a priority here. 🕯️
• The background extras in the chapel who look completely bored out of their minds. One of them actually looks like they are trying to take a nap.
• The dramatic music that swells up every time someone opens a letter, like they just found out the world is ending. It reminded me a bit of the soapy vibe in Somebody Lied.

The writing by Francisco Gargallo is pretty basic. Characters don't really talk to each other; they just deliver big, dramatic speeches at each other. It gets a bit exhausting after a while.

Lina Yegros shows up later in the film, and she actually brings a tiny bit of life to the screen. But by then, the movie has already established its super slow pace, and there is no saving it from the gloom.

I actually nodded off for a second during the middle part when they were discussing convent politics. I don't think I missed much, because when I blinked my eyes open, they were still sitting in the same room talking about the same secret. 🤷

Should You Watch It?

Probably not, unless you are doing a deep dive into obscure Spanish cinema. It is a neat historical curiosity, but as an actual entertainment choice for a Friday night? Absolutely not. Go watch literally anything else unless you want a very effective sleep aid.