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
  • inspirelake - 1 February 2024
    A yawnfest.
    I am neither religious or otherwise invested. I just wanted to watch a movie, that for some reason, had quite a high rating. I thought I would be watching something at least partly intelligent since it's supposedly based 'on a true story'.

    Good grief. Fluctuating from severe boredom, to outright disbelief, to derision, I couldn't make it past half way. Going from ridiculous religious interpretation of events, to some nun's obvious deep need to lose her virginity and soon! Enclosed in a convent from an early age, the film caters to the possibility that all this waffle was perhaps a miracle.

    I was so bored by this tripe that I didn't even make it to the supposed lesbian scenes that they say is in it and I'm sure they would have bored me senseless too.

    Terribly made, dull acting, go and do something else, like wash your hair.
  • christopher-underwood - 16 March 2023
    interesting most of the time
    I think I have seen all of Verhoeven's films and usually I have really loved them all, even Showgirls (1995) but not this one. It has just enough interest to keep me going for 90 minutes but as this is really just the story of Benedetta and her miracles oh and of course her being a pretty sexy girl and her lovely lesbian friend. I couldn't help remembering that The Devils (1971) directed by Ken Russell was really amazing with Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed. The impact remains because of the extreme characters and the movie retains its power even now, the church just wanted their money and didn't care about anything else. Even though the Verhoeven's film is just about entertaining most of the time but there really is nothing else and in the end there is the fire and it is not that good or anything like as good as Russell's.
  • teun-bijvoet - 20 July 2022
    Somewhat boring
    I'm well aware of the fact that Paul Verhoeven is fascinated by religion. So now he made a movie combining the two subjects that interest him the most. Sex and religion. That is very Dutch because original sin weighs heavy on our tiny nation. The craftsman that Verhoeven is prevents him from making a bad movie. But I'm afraid that - probably because I think religion is not really important to further mankind - I found the whole experience rather boring and unimportant. But the acting is fine and it looks good, so 5 out of 10.
  • Sandrine71 - 9 May 2022
    Effira naked as usual and A poor Verhoven for once.
    Of course and as usual we will see Virginie Effira naked, her specialty in films.

    Regarding the film itself, I was delighted to watch a new Paul Verhoven opus, and ended disappointed. We understand the story of this nun locked up since her childhood and who discovers the sin of the flesh with a woman, would she have had a man at her side, she would have discovered it with a man. Was she really a lesbian, we don't know because in fact the director doesn't dig in anything: he shows, discovers, but does not dive into the psyche of the allegedly lesbian and holy nun, but above all manipulative. Why did she become that manipulative nun, a liar ? Mystery.

    Charlotte Rampling is obviously perfect. But why does her character end up siding with the manipulator? Mystery.

    Lambert Wilson is excellent.

    Bennedetta's mistress is quite insipid in her game.

    But above all... why so many sex scenes? We do not care! It's borderline and unhealthy to see them playing with a statute of the virgin transformed into a dildo.

    In short, no interest.

    May Virginie Effira put on clothes, we have had enough of her breasts her buttocks and the rest.