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The Innocents (2016) movie poster

Timeline

The Innocents (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2016 · 115 min · French
JustWatch #20,672 1
Directed by
Anne Fontaine

In the aftermath of World War II, a French doctor arrives in Warsaw and discovers a convent where Catholic nuns are secretly defying their vows and becoming pregnant. As she investigates, the doctor, Mathilde, uncovers deeply buried secrets within the cloistered community. Her presence sparks a crisis of faith and challenges the beliefs of those around her, all while the Communist government intensifies its opposition to the Catholic church.

Drama Cast, crew & box office
On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (15)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like The Innocents
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch The Innocents (2016)

Where can you watch The Innocents? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Prime Video, Brew and OVID: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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15 events in order · contains spoilers

The Innocents Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of The Innocents (2016) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Beaulieu arrives at the convent to tend to sick women

    In December 1945 Warsaw, Beaulieu, a young French student doctor attached to an army unit, goes to the nun's convent after hearing of ill women. She meets the Mother Superior and learns that conditions are strained and secretive. This visit sets the stage for her mission to help beyond official channels.

    When
    Night, December 1945
    Where
    Convent, Warsaw

  2. Abbess reveals wartime trauma among nuns

    The Abbess confesses that several nuns were raped by Soviet soldiers, describing a culture of secrecy and fear of scandal. Seven nuns are pregnant, and many hesitate to be examined due to vows of chastity. The revelation deepens the nuns' spiritual and emotional crisis.

    When
    Soon after Beaulieu's arrival
    Where
    Mother Superior's quarters, Convent

  3. Soldiers threaten the convent; Beaulieu defuses the situation

    Soldiers arrive, suspicious that the nuns harbor an enemy. Beaulieu persuades them she is there to combat a typhus outbreak, preventing a raid. The Mother Superior is visibly shaken and grateful for Beaulieu's quick thinking.

    When
    Shortly after arrival
    Where
    Convent vicinity

  4. Beaulieu faces discipline at the army base

    Beaulieu returns to the army medical unit and is chastised for leaving without leave. Her superior emphasizes military order and discipline over humanitarian discretion. The clash highlights the tension between compassion and military protocol.

    When
    Later the same day
    Where
    Army medical unit HQ

  5. A novice gives birth unexpectedly; secrecy requested

    During another visit, a novice delivers without realizing she was pregnant. The Abbess orders all births to be reported, but Beaulieu asks for discretion to focus on the newborn's care. A quiet decision to shield the baby from immediate notice takes shape.

    When
    Later
    Where
    Convent birthing area

  6. Sister Zofia takes responsibility for the infant

    The newborn is entrusted to Sister Zofia, illustrating the hidden burden carried by the nuns. Beaulieu supports the decision to protect the child from prying eyes. This act deepens the veil of secrecy surrounding the convent's situation.

    When
    Same event
    Where
    Convent

  7. Beaulieu discusses faith with the Mistress of Novices

    Beaulieu questions how such suffering can be reconciled with faith. The Mistress of Novices explains that faith persists through moments of doubt and flickers of hope. Their exchange reveals a personal, painful crisis for the nuns.

    When
    During subsequent conversations
    Where
    Convent

  8. Unit transfer forces Beaulieu to brace for departure

    Beaulieu returns to the army unit and learns that they will be transferred out of the area. The impending move compounds the practical challenges of continuing medical aid. The shift underscores the fragility of support for the convent's work.

    When
    Later
    Where
    Army base

  9. Multiple births and secrecy maintained with a Jewish colleague

    As more nuns go into labor, Beaulieu brings a male Jewish colleague to help safeguard the newborns' secrecy. They ensure the mothers' privacy remains intact despite the risk of discovery. The atmosphere remains tense yet hopeful about the babies' futures.

    When
    Soon after
    Where
    Convent / maternity area

  10. Abbess uncovers deception; confrontation looms

    The Mistress of Novices brings a baby to the base to protect it, but the Abbess discovers the ruse. She condemns it as scandal and disorder, while the Mistress of Novices counters that such ills were already present. A power struggle within the convent comes to a head.

    When
    Around the time of deception
    Where
    Convent and base

  11. Mother Superior abandons the baby; Zofia's suicide

    The Mother Superior ultimately leaves a baby beside a crucifix after baptism, rather than placing it with a family. Zofia is distraught by the situation and later dies by suicide after her failing her duties under pressure. The tragedy exposes the devastating consequences of secrecy.

    When
    Shortly after the deception
    Where
    Country walking path near the convent

  12. Mistress of Novices confronts the Abbess about the truth

    When the Mistress visits Zofia's family, she learns they were unaware of the child’s existence. She resolves to tell the aunt the truth and then confronts the Abbess about deception. This marks a crucial awakening to Providence and complicity.

    When
    After Zofia's death
    Where
    Zofia's family / Abbey

  13. Three babies protected at the medical base; plan for an orphanage

    Back at the medical base, Beaulieu helps escort three babies to safety. She notices street orphans assisting the staff, sparking the idea of the nuns running an orphanage to avoid questions about origins. The plan shifts the convent toward communal care rather than secrecy.

    When
    Before departure
    Where
    Medical base

  14. Nuns consider raising children within the order

    Some sisters decide to stay and raise their own children, while others agree to have the babies raised by the nuns. The choices reflect a desire for moral agency in a ruined system. The community moves toward forming a new, open form of family life.

    When
    Near departure
    Where
    Convent

  15. Three months later: a hopeful final scene

    The final scene shows three months later, with a photographer at the convent capturing images of the nuns and the thriving orphans. The moment signals a hopeful transition from trauma to community. It offers a glimpse of a brighter future for the children and the sisters alike.

    When
    Three months later
    Where
    Convent

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:24

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Timeline questions answered

The Innocents Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of The Innocents (2016): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why were the nuns at the convent pregnant?

The nuns became pregnant after being raped by Soviet soldiers during World War II. Seven nuns in the convent were victims of this wartime sexual violence, and the Mother Superior explains that they were hiding the pregnancies out of shame and fear of scandal, as well as reluctance to violate their vows of chastity through medical examinations.

  • soviet soldiers
  • rape
  • pregnancies
  • wartime trauma
  • nuns
Q2

Why did the Mother Superior leave a baby on a country path?

The Mother Superior claimed she was taking babies to families for adoption, but this was a deception to protect the convent's reputation. Instead of finding families, she baptized one infant and abandoned it on a rural path beneath a crucifix, believing God would provide rather than placing the child with a family outside the convent's control.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, the Mother Superior insists on handling all births herself and becomes furious when the Mistress of Novices tries to place a child with her own family.

  • mother superior
  • abbess
  • abandoned baby
  • adoption
  • deception
Q3

Why did Sister Zofia commit suicide?

Sister Zofia was caring for one of the newborns and had kept the secret of the baby's existence. When the Mother Superior discovered the deception and abandoned the child instead of placing it safely, Zofia was left devastated. Under the immense pressure of keeping the secret and witnessing the baby's fate, she took her own life.

Foreshadowing: Zofia had already shown distress when the Abbess confronted the Mistress of Novices about trying to place a baby with family, foreshadowing her breaking point.

  • sister zofia
  • suicide
  • newborn
  • secret
  • pressure
Q4

How did Mathilde Beaulieu become involved with the convent?

Mathilde Beaulieu, a young French medical student and army doctor, arrived in Warsaw in December 1945 with the French Red Cross. She went to the convent after hearing that ill women there were being overlooked, insisting on personally assessing them rather than simply referring them to the Polish Red Cross. Her medical mission pulled her into the secret world of the pregnant nuns.

  • mathilde beaulieu
  • french doctor
  • convent
  • red cross
  • medical help
Q5

What happened to the babies born in the convent?

The babies faced different fates. Some were hidden and cared for by sympathetic nuns like Sister Zofia. The Mother Superior claimed to place them with adoptive families but instead abandoned at least one. Eventually, three babies were brought to the medical base for protection. Three months later, the surviving children appear healthy in the final scene, living at the convent which has become an orphanage.

  • babies
  • orphans
  • orphanage
  • convent
  • survival
Q6

Why did the Mother Superior lie about finding families for the babies?

The Mother Superior was obsessed with preserving the convent's reputation and avoiding scandal. She believed that allowing the babies to remain in the outside world would expose the nuns' rape trauma and destroy the community's integrity. Her lies were meant to maintain control and secrecy, though they ultimately led to tragedy.

Foreshadowing: The Abbess becomes furious when the Mistress of Novices tries to place a baby with her family, calling it scandal and disorder.

  • mother superior
  • reputation
  • secrecy
  • scandal
  • deception
Q7

Why did Mathilde bring a male Jewish doctor to help?

Mathilde brought a male Jewish colleague to assist with the deliveries because she needed medical help and trusted him to keep the nuns' secret safe. His status as a Jewish doctor during this post-war period also suggests she recognized someone who would understand persecution and vulnerability, making him less likely to betray the vulnerable nuns.

  • jewish doctor
  • male doctor
  • deliveries
  • secrecy
  • trust
Q8

Why did the nuns hide their pregnancies?

The nuns hid their pregnancies primarily due to shame and fear. They had taken vows of chastity and felt their bodies had betrayed those vows through the rapes. They also feared the social scandal and the reaction of the Church hierarchy. Additionally, some nuns doubted their faith after the trauma and dreaded intimate medical examinations that would reveal their condition.

  • shame
  • vows
  • secrecy
  • faith
  • scandal
Q9

What happened when the military unit prepared to leave?

When Mathilde's army medical unit received orders to transfer from Warsaw, the nuns faced losing their primary source of protection and medical care. This forced urgent action: the Mistress of Novices brought three babies to the medical base to shield them from the Mother Superior's reach. The departure created a deadline that pushed the community toward forming the orphanage plan.

  • military unit
  • departure
  • transfer
  • orphans
  • orphanage plan
Q10

What does the final scene with the photographer signify?

Three months after the main events, a photographer visits the convent to capture images of the nuns alongside thriving orphans. This hopeful scene represents healing and renewal, instead of secrecy and death, the community has openly embraced the children. The photograph symbolizes their transformation from a hiding, traumatized group into a functioning orphanage embracing a new purpose.

  • photographer
  • orphanage
  • hope
  • healing
  • renewal

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Innocents, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Innocents tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about institutional secrecy like The Innocents

Stories that explore deeply buried truths within rigid, closed-off communities. If you appreciated the unsettling discovery of secrets within a convent in 'The Innocents,' this section features similar movies like it. These dramas focus on closed societies, hidden traumas, and the individuals who uncover them, often with a heavy emotional weight and a sobering tone.

  • claustrophobic
  • oppressive
  • sobering
  • tense
  • secretive
  • moral complexity
  • Tone: sobering, tense, dark
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives typically follow an outsider or an insider awakening to a systemic lie or hidden trauma within a tightly controlled environment. The plot revolves around the investigation or gradual revelation of this secret, leading to a crisis of faith, authority, and personal morality for the characters involved.

Why they belong together: They are grouped by their shared setting of a closed institution, a central mystery or secret, and a thematic focus on the conflict between institutional power and individual suffering. The mood is consistently tense, claustrophobic, and morally complex.

True Confession movie poster

True Confession

1937
The Name of the Rose movie poster

The Name of the Rose

1986
Deadly Sins movie poster

Deadly Sins

1995
The Burial Society movie poster

The Burial Society

2004
Consecration movie poster

Consecration

2023
The Innocents movie poster

The Innocents

2016
Sister Death movie poster

Sister Death

2023
True Confessions movie poster

True Confessions

1981

Sobering post-war dramas like The Innocents

Quiet, heavy dramas exploring the profound human cost in the aftermath of conflict. For viewers who liked the grim, reflective atmosphere of 'The Innocents,' this list collects similar movies set after major conflicts. These films share a heavy emotional weight, a focus on trauma and survival, and a bittersweet or bleak tone, exploring stories like those found in 'The Innocents'.

  • somber
  • reflective
  • heavy
  • traumatic
  • sobering
  • post-war
  • Tone: somber, dark, reflective
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The stories in this thread are character-driven, often following individuals or small communities grappling with loss, guilt, and the challenge of finding humanity amidst devastation. The plot is less about action and more about internal conflict, moral choices, and the slow, painful process of facing traumatic truths.

Why they belong together: They are united by their post-war setting and a shared focus on the heavy, lingering effects of trauma. The tone is predominantly dark and reflective, with a steady pacing that allows the emotional weight to build, resulting in a sobering and thought-provoking experience.

The Searchers movie poster

The Searchers

1956
The Wasted Times movie poster

The Wasted Times

2016
After the Curfew movie poster

After the Curfew

1954
The Brutalist movie poster

The Brutalist

2024
Two Women movie poster

Two Women

1960
Forest of the Hanged movie poster

Forest of the Hanged

1965
Clean and Sober movie poster

Clean and Sober

1988
Generation War movie poster

Generation War

2014

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Every angle

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