Diary of a Bride of Christ

Marta, the film’s director, faces her fears and digs into the realm of her estranged sister Nastia, a Greek-Catholic nun, to re-evaluate the world they both were brought up in.

Director Marta Smerechynska approaches her sister Nastia after six years of silence. She films Nastia’s life in a new home – a convent of the Brides of Christ located in Western Ukraine. Marta’s relationship with Nastia, who has renounced all her human possessions to become a part of this isolated world, reflects the experience of other families and their daughters inside the closed religious community. Unlike when she is talking to her sister, Smerechynska manages to discuss her emotions and feelings freely with nuns, who see her as a point of connection to their past. The film explores their loss, misunderstandings, and judgments. Smerechynska not only struggles with the rules set by the nunnery but also renews her own beliefs and values. Searching for answers, she rediscovers love for her sister and her companions throughout this journey, despite their paths taking very different directions.