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Benedetta
2021 131 min Belgium, France, Netherlands 18+
★7.0
History, Drama, Romance
Director: Paul Verhoeven
🎭 Based on
«Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy»
byJudith Cora Brown
Trailers
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Teaser
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Description
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.
Budget:
$24.35M
US Gross:
$354,481
Worldwide:
$2.65M
Starring
Virginie Efira
Actor
Charlotte Rampling
Actor
Daphné Patakia
Actor
Awards
César Awards 2022
— Best Actress
San Sebastián International Film Festival 2021
— Sebastian Prize
Cannes Film Festival 2021
— Palme d'Or
Key opinion
Benedetta is a provocative historical drama that explores the intersection of religious ecstasy and carnal desire in a 17th-century convent. While critics frequently praise Virginie Efira’s intense lead performance and the film's meticulous production design, the director's attempt to blend exploitation tropes with serious thematic inquiry leaves many polarized.
| Acting | Virginie Efira delivers a powerful and charismatic tour-de-force performance that anchors the film's shifting tones. | |
| Production | The production design and period recreation are visually stunning, effectively capturing the atmosphere of 17th-century Italy. | |
| Originality | The erotic content is divisive; some find the explicit scenes natural and intrinsic to the character's journey, while others view them as gratuitous and lacking in genuine emotional or narrative drive. | |
| Direction | Verhoeven's signature provocative style creates a split in reception: supporters applaud his bold, anti-clerical ambition, while detractors feel the film lacks his typical sharp narrative spark and relies too heavily on kitschy shock value. |