Cloistered

Cloistered an observational portrait of a cloistered, contemplative monastery in New Jersey. Save for rare circumstances, the sisters never venture beyond the convent’s walls and spend most of their days in silence and prayer. The nuns who live there have vowed to live a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. They have decided to give up their worldly possessions and all previous relationships to become ‘brides of Christ’.

Combining footage shot from 2018-2020 with the nuns’ own archival VHS and digital home videos shot since the 90s, Cloistered offers a glimpse into a private realm in which the sisters are down to earth, relatable, and human, and yet are also striving for perfection as they pursue something otherworldly and mysterious.

Length: 22 minutes

(Director / DP + Producer)

Cloistered will have its World Premiere at The San Francisco Film Festival in April 2023