Benedetta

Benedetta

A 17th-century nun becomes entangled in a forbidden lesbian affair with a novice. But it is Benedetta's shocking religious visions that threaten to shake the Church to its core.

  • Released: 2021-07-09
  • Runtime: 127 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, History, Romance
  • Stars: Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling, Daphne Patakia, Lambert Wilson, Olivier Rabourdin, Clotilde Courau, Louise Chevillotte, Hervé Pierre, Guilaine Londez, Alexia Chardard, Quentin D'Hainaut, Jonathan Couzinié, Satya Dusaugey, Antoine Lelandais, David Clavel, Nicolas Gaspar, Gaëlle Jantet, Justine Bachelet, Lauriane Riquet, Eléna Plonka, Héloïse Bresc, Vinciane Millereau, Jérôme Chappatte, Ewan Ribard, Nicolas Béguinot, Pedro Radicic, Benjamin Penemaria, Frédéric Sauzay, Sophie Breyer, Célia Kaci, Alexia Chardard, Sébastien Chabane, Boris Gillot, Léa Lopez, Olga Milshtein, Pascal Le Corre, Raphaël Potier, Philippe Saunier, Fabrice Cals, Gaëlle Jeantet
  • Director: Paul Verhoeven
 Comments
  • Coventry - 5 March 2024
    Jesus Christ Superstar-savior of Sinful Nuns!
    "Benedetta" is a Paul Verhoeven film. It's a line that basically says nothing at all, but - and especially if you're familiar with the full oeuvre of this peculiar director - says everything. It means that you don't know what you'll be getting, but simultaneously also that you'll be getting certain fixed themes & topics that are Verhoeven's hobbyhorses.

    Let me clarify. Regardless of the setting, era, or premise, Paul Verhoeven ALWAYS harshly criticizes established values and "sacred cows". In "Robocop" it was the police force and the privatization of public institutions. In "Starship Troopers" it was the military and the subtle glorification of fascism, and in "Benedetta" it is the centuries' old hypocrisy of the Catholic Church. This man does not avoid any taboo and destroys every institution with influence and/or authority. You can also be sure that in every new film by Verhoeven a strong, over-emancipated, and practically unscrupulous woman takes the lead. Sharon Stone had the honor in "Basic Instinct," "Showgirls" featured exclusively strong women, and in "Benedetta," the breathtaking Virginie Efira plays a nun who doesn't answer to any known stereotype of a nun. It's all vintage Paul Verhoeven, but at the same time you get a film of which you can never predict what will happen within the next five minutes. That's also why he's one of my favorite directors of all time.

    "Benedetta" certainly wasn't Verhoeven's easiest project, as he struggled with many production issues and delays. There was this little global pandemic we all suffered from, obviously, but the director also faced personal healthy issues and there was a painful conflict with the writer with whom Verhoeven collaborated for several decades already. All this, and a handful of defaults and shortcomings within the film itself, brings me to say "Benedetta" isn't the masterpiece I hoped for.

    Nevertheless, though, it's a compelling and often astounding period piece/drama with some unforgettable moments. Benedetta's dreams/visions in which she's the mistress of a furiously enraged Jesus Christ, as well the blood-soaked stigmata moments, are pure exploitation madness. The performances are stupendous. Efira is magnificent, but so are Charlotte Rampling, Daphné Patakia, and Lambert Wilson. The locations and photography are stunning, the music is divine, and the eroticism/sex is, well, ...arousing!
  • dk777 - 19 April 2023
    Laughable Trash
    I managed to watch about forty minutes of this garbage before I finally gave up.

    Paul Verhoeven used to make good movies. What happened to the director who made films like Robocop, Starship Troopers and Total Recall to make such an unwatchable horror of a film is really a mystery.

    The film is hilarious, so pretentious that it is impossible to experience it as anything other than garbage.

    Verhoeven was a great director, he had an interesting style, especially when it came to violence, he had his own style and made movies interesting and fun. This is really a disaster of a movie, and if this is an attempt to "shock" the viewer, it is an even bigger failure, because the movie seems like some kind of bad parody. Totally hilarious and pathetic.

    I'm sorry that I wasted my time on this disaster, but at least I didn't see it in the cinema, because that would really have been a waste of both time and money.

    Simply, sometimes it happens that a movie is a total failure, this is one of those movies. It's really sad that a great director like Paul Verhoeven has fallen to this level.

    Watching this movie, if you can even call it that, is a complete waste of time.
  • rogier-86785 - 31 July 2022
    Strong, Relevant and Mysterious
    Benedetta is a take on a real life story about a young woman in the middle ages who believes so wholeheartedly in Jezus and the love of God, that around her, mysterious stuff happens. What follows is a film that does not shy away from both controversy and visceral body action, while all the time, keeping the mystery alive, and occasionally even poking great fun at the subject.

    Benedetta is put in the House of God with nuns and priests who do not really seem to believe in the divine themselves, setting up for conflict in religion and faith. This being a Verhoeven film, we get to see everything, including sex between nuns, which is not really a spoiler, since it made the film instantly infamous.

    For a Verhoeven film, the sex and violence is actually mild, which isn't to say it's not prominent. But it's the underlying story that makes it truly interesting: how does a woman with such devotion, love and sex appeal, fair in the horridly abusive culture of the Church in the middle ages? Does she overcome it? And is she truly blessed by God or not?

    I'll leave that for you to discover yourself. I will say without giving anything away, that the acting and directing is done with ferocious passion and conviction, that the film covers all emotions and feels accurate in its depiction of this historic woman her life.

    Again, Verhoeven delivers.
  • alijamalipour - 13 May 2022
    Gripping to the End
    Precise. To the point. Love and faith, being the overall message, might make you think the same as I did when I watched it on a bright day not devoid of signs and messages in my recently turbulent life. A consistently sustained blend of thriller, romance, historical drama, fantasy, a touch of horror even, _ein faszinierendes Gesamtkunstwerk_ .

    I give 10 with complete faith in the good will and professionalism of the cast and crew.

    Spoiler: ... The only moment that may let your eyes stray from the screen is the initial 3 minutes (including the opening credits!) Surprise: based on real events.

    P. S. My first ever review on eye em dee bee!