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A gory throwback to the 1970s.

A troubled young American woman named Sarah (Tiffany Shepis) arrives at the “New Order” convent in Italy on the advice of her bishop. She wants to renew her faith, but quickly learns that the practices of the red-robed sisters are quite harsh: she is isolated and given little food, and eventually, with the aid of a sleazy, drunken doctor (Francesco Primavera), the nuns begin to systematically mutilate her body so that she may only speak to god “via her soul.” In this traumatized state, she begins to have flashbacks to a brutal old man (Guiseppe Gobatto) who rapes his daughter and then raises her orphaned child (his daughter/granddaughter) to womanhood, calling her Ninfa (Caroline de Cristofaro). Ninfa eventually suffers tragedies of her own, which Sarah finds have an impact on her current situation.

Aside from the obvious digital photography, Nympha seems like a movie time-warped out of the 1970s. From the obtuse, non-linear storytelling to the often cliched imagery (ooh – blood pouring down the front of a door… scary, kids!) to the frequent nudity and obligatory lesbian sex scene, Nympha has all the elements that made the Italian cinema memorable – if rarely all that good –  in the ‘70s. Producer/cinematographer/editor/director Ivan Zuccon fashions some memorable moments, and the gore quotient is high and often uncomfortable (you’ll never look at a tongue sandwich the same again), but overall the film doesn’t add up to much, and you have to ultimately wonder what the point of it all is. The “shock” ending doesn’t make much sense (another throwback to the good ol’ days), and the even the title itself seems geared to titillate, as no one in the actual movie ever calls Ninfa “Nympha.”

Surprisingly, low-level scream queen Tiffany Shepis does an excellent job as the downtrodden Sarah. Granted, the script doesn’t call for her to do much but act bewildered and terrified (and be naked), but she does it very effectively, and gives us some reason to feel sorry for the poor girl. The other performances are serviceable enough, but none of the characters are particularly well-drawn, and so they emerge more as archetypes. Why exactly is the father/grandfather such an abusive monster? We never know, and ultimately we stop caring.

The copy we were sent was an advanced screener with only a theatrical trailer; if the final release has any additional extras, they were not made available for review.

Ultimately, Nympha is bad, but marginally more interesting than the typical direct-to-DVD fare. But only marginally, and that should not be construed as a recommendation. Fans of the old-guard Italian cinema might want to take a look, but don’t expect much flattery in this sincere imitation.

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