A historical drama centring on Italian nuns has been captivating cinema enthusiasts – and it’s screening on Film4 this evening. Benedetta, which premiered in 2021, chronicles a 17th-century nun who finds herself embroiled in an illicit same-sex romance, whilst her startling religious visions risk upending the Church’s foundations.
The production stars Virginie Efira in the title role and Daphne Patakia as Sister Bartolomea, under the direction of Robocop’s director Paul Verhoeven. The narrative draws from the 1986 non-fiction work Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy by historian Judith C. Brown.
The film is loosely inspired by Benedetta Carlini, a Tuscan mystic who professed to bear the stigmata (wounds mirroring those inflicted upon Christ during the Crucifixion) and to experience divine visions of Jesus.
She was ultimately incarcerated for falsifying miracles and for her liaison with Sister Bartolomea, which provides the romantic narrative of this production.
The picture boasts a remarkable 84% rating on film and TV review website Rotten Tomatoes, according to Mirror.co.uk, earning widespread acclaim. One glowing assessment said: « A fascinating examination of the thin line between the sacred and the profane. Unsurprisingly, Verhoeven is perhaps the only filmmaker who could have pulled this off. »
Another contributor stated: « Paul Verhoeven shows that the image of the Virgin Mary is not just for worship. The performances are great, the script is well done and Paul’s direction hits the nail on the head at an excellent pace that doesn’t let the story drop at any time. »
A third noted: « Due to the low budget or lack of time, the planned special effects relax and get in the way of the correction of a film that is very interesting. »
A fourth cautioned it’s not merely romance and steamy sequences, as they said: « Though I was prepared for sex and naked girls, I wasn’t quite prepared for the extreme violence. Engrossing and gross. He likes to shock.
« The hair and makeup took me out of the period and into the present but, overall, confirmed my desire to never enter a convent. »
A five-star assessment stated: « An absolute masterpiece, Verhoeven thrills from beginning to end. Gets to the core of the characters. Don’t be fooled by the critics, this film is very powerful. »
A sixth declared: « This stunningly powerful film, with an obsessive desire to analyse Saint Benedetta’s unshakable belief in her communication with Jesus, and its co-existance with absolute acceptance of her lesbian desires, reinforces Paul Verhoeven as the greatest living director. No one else I’ve seen has this mastery of the elements of film making. »
