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A 17th century nun in Italy has disturbing visions and strikes up a steamy lesbian relationship.
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Based on the true story of Benedetta Carlini. A 17th century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a novice with whom she strikes up a steamy lesbian relationship. From the director of Basic Instinct.
"Paul Verhoeven is a challenging and provocative filmmaker: from the sci-fi 'RoboCop', in which he questioned the limits of technology within police forces, to an intense war drama in 'The Spy' and even to more controversial films such as 'Showgirls' and 'Basic Instinct'. 'Benedetta', a drama that caused uproar when it ed through film festivals, calmly enters this last group. The plot, based on facts, tells the story of a nun (Benedetta, played by Virginie Efira) who, in a 17th century convent, begins to have disturbing visions. All of them with a religious background, but also with blasphemous icons inserted into these dreams. From then on, her life in the convent begins to spiral into a vortex of sex and identity confusion. Verhoeven plays with all the possibilities of this story and quickly embraces satire to poke believers and the most conservative - which includes a dildo made with a cross. In addition to Efira being magnetic on screen, there are also good performances by Charlotte Rampling and Daphne Patakia, which allow the filmmaker to compose this scenario full of provocative moments."