Sound of the Divine Bell

The Sound of the Divine Bell revolves around Susanna, a young woman who stands at a crossroads in her life. In a mere three days, she is set to take her vows and dedicate herself to a life of devotion and service as a nun in a convent. However, as the moment approaches, Susanna begins to feel a turmoil brewing within her. Her doubts and uncertainties are ignited by her chance placement alongside an older nun, Teresa, in the same room. The film sets the stage with a glimpse into Susanna's tight-lipped world, hidden away from the vibrant outside world behind the convent walls. The strict routines, rules, and whispers that echo through the corridors come alive through the eyes of Susanna. Her experience thus far as a novice has given her a taste of the solitude, discipline, and purpose that vows promise to bring. Against this backdrop, the unexpected arrival of Teresa as her roommate seems to set the clock ticking for Susanna's future. Their living quarters served as an ideal prop for this uneasy coexistence. In keeping with the medieval-era setting of the convent, the room would have been cramped, perhaps with a single or small window, and with a rather simple if solemn aesthetic. However, beneath the dingy, narrow circumstances – and within this peculiar room – is where Susanna and Teresa's relationship begins. Their proximity, by choice or not, compels Susanna to see beyond the abstract ideals and spiritual disciplines, which may have at times made monastic life seem somewhat distant and fascinating, but also somewhat otherworldly and unattainable. Teresa and Susanna soon form a bond – not free from conflicts, but full of tension, conflicting views, and gradual trust – that takes her through the doors of uncertainty into a vast space of human emotions and questions. Their conversations could give viewers glimpses into their disparate perspectives, and the picture they illustrate could very well make them even more bewildered. While their interchanges cast doubt, also evoke pain and memories within Susanna. Teresa becomes the catalyst for Susanna to confront the unknown and challenge her perception of the prospective commitments she is about to undertake. As Susanna begins questioning her lifetime of training to find solace and surrender, the convent increasingly appears as a place ruled by its own rigid expectations, and the strictness can prove to be unforgiving – evoking in her more emotional awareness and more skeptical appraisals of what it means to surrender oneself to a code. Her apprehensions open doors to conversations and shared revelations from both her past and present, when deep within Susanna lies her search for meaning that she came to seek. If love, friendships, relationships, nature – aspects lost through relentless adherence to canon and code – can provoke her to seek things true and what could happen if she leaves her original aspiration behind. But at the same time, as her mental turbulence begins and becomes fierce enough, there's an internal transformation for her. As doubts and memories seem threatening her deep-seated understanding of what her spiritual aspirations will be, the conflicts she's experiencing in her quest as she opens her perspective makes her more conscious, at this time, of her faith. The questions Susanna posed herself go further; would a lifelong commitment to a profession that no longer spoke to her be simply to stay on course or admit defeat after months or years of study, adherence to the regime and perseverance through rigors in the rigid structure? Did choosing the path she set foot on all those years ago equate to being honest with herself, or did desire and the notion for solitude hold much influence in her decision-making? Were monastic vows only to offer solitude and separation from this world's turmoil? With her resolve crumbling, Susanna also began taking a look at a once hopeful dream fading fast with regret mixed in. The chance that allowed Teresa to teach her, though a bittersweet journey for Susanna, eventually offers a quiet defiance. It compels her – and to that extent every instance of uncertainty with questions and doubts of every form (romantic, personal, professional) – to reconcile with what draws life ever more nearer. Through her internal struggle, Susanna has every right to ask: can a lifelong commitment be right, even if the passion that fuelled the commitment grows faint. The uncertainty within, even after confrontation with her long held notion that has just left her feeling empty, cannot yet easily shake her idea that accepting devotion could elevate her, she just has to admit an honest vulnerability – and confront her inner conviction that it's best to actually tread the path she chose a long time ago. Her ultimate struggle is finally resolved the day before the profession rites – when Susanna reaches out to a nearby cleric. Her resolve sets her free, albeit with heartache, understanding that the convent's tight constraints and constrictive framework may not be the right fit for her fragile soul – as were all realizations she extracted throughout her complex journey –, unearthing within her final conviction to leave behind the convent life that might have been a misguided goal, and for this she must be brave.