Lenore Dowling of the Immaculate Heart Community at the Women's March in Los Angeles, January 2017 (Courtesy of Merman & Anchor Entertainment)
Pedro Kos's new documentary, "Rebel Hearts," which premiered to a sold-out audience last month at the 2021 virtual Sundance Film Festival, recounts the story of the Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters in the Los Angeles Archdiocese. Director Kos, who is a Catholic, and producer Judy Korin, using extensive archival footage, clever animation and numerous commentators, recount the story of this community during the tumultuous years of Vatican II (1962-1965) until today.
Much of the film's focus, however, centers on the 1960s, when the reputation of the sisters was at its highest.