The end of the 1950s, on the outskirts of Brussels.
Like the rest of the young generation of the time, Jeannine Deckers (Cécile de France) has a thirst for freedom and adventure. There's no question of her following the path her parents have chosen for her - finding a husband and taking over the family bakery. She wants a different life. To move away, to meet other people.
After toying with art studies, she enters a convent. Jeanine finds out that being a Dominican nun is a difficult vocation. It requires giving up one's passions, including music. But she's not prepared to do this. The other sisters don't understand her, but with the blessing of the Mother Superior, she sticks to her dream and writes a global pop hit: Dominique.
For audiences around the world, Jeannine became "Sister Smile", also known as the Singing Nun. She was a worldwide sensation and sold millions of records. Her success was compared to that of Elvis Presley.
Struggling to reconcile her faith and her new-found fame, Jeannine leaves the convent and attempts to continue her career as a rock star.
The film traces the unique and deeply moving story of this young girl who never gave up.
Special Agent Matti
The only thing better than a one-hit wonder is a one-hit wonder who crashes and burns. Sister Smile (Soeur Sourire) is a tale of human discovery, growth, wasted potential, grubby in-fighting, romance, conspiracy and failure. Everything you want in the biography of a Belgian nun.
(BTW: Has anyone else noticed that nuns dress up in costumes that look suspiciously like the burqa?)
Now, you have to be nuts to want to be a nun or monk so that sets Jeannine's life up for a fall before she's started (celibacy, isolation). Then you have to remember that she's Belgian, which means an identity crisis for her entire nation - they don't even have their own language (Dutch, French, German). Her parents are passive-aggressive (father and mother respectively). She's a Catholic (guilt). She's musical (escape). She's a nun (isolated). She's famous (love). How would you cope?
Sister Smile (Soeur Sourire) is not to everyone's taste but if you've ever heard that bloody song, you'll want to see what happened to the woman who wrote it.
The Jeannine Deckers biography movie Sister Smile (Soeur Sourire) is directed by Stijn Coninx and stars Cécile De France, Sandrine Blancke, Chris Lomme.
PG (Mild themes, brief nudity and infrequent coarse language)
119 minutes (1:59 hours)
Film: 12 November 2009
