Registered in official competition at the last Cannes Film Festival, Benedetta, by Paul Verhoeven, is a hard-hitting drama that explores, through several parallel stories, the abuse of power.
Abuse of power by religious over lay people. Abuse of power by a mystical woman over her entourage. Abuse of power by a papal nuncio desperate to extract an incriminating confession from a woman of the clergy. Abuse of power by a novice over his superior by multiplying erotic cajoling to have the coveted privileged place.
Repeated abuses of power, therefore, committed at the heart of a period of history when everyone, threatened with death every second by the ambient plague, tries to save their own skin. On this subject, certain passages are reminiscent of what is happening around the world today. To prevent a spread, the town of Pescia is closing its doors to visitors. When examining the body of Benedetta, the papal nuncio covers his nose …
Running through the film from start to finish, the central theme allows Paul Verhoeven, who is not in his first punch film (Basic Instinct, She), to go all the way in the scenes of sex, torture, massacres, misogyny, revolts, but also miracles and mysticism.
Lying, jealousy, and hypocrisy pervade many of the central characters. They had to play it all without ringing the bell. Overall, it is successful. Starting with Virginie Efira in a central role with multiple registers, moving from the empathetic young nun to a practically demonic being. As the papal nuncio, Lambert Wilson wears a particularly gloomy and dark character.
Some scenes disturb? Without doubt, yes. But that doesn’t mean they are free. The filmmaker, who adapts the book here Sister Benedetta, between saint and lesbian, by Judith C. Brown, himself based on a true story, wanted to revisit here the preponderant, not to say dominant, influence of religion on society at the heart of what has been called modern times.
In reality, Benedetta Carlini was a nun of the Theatines Convent regularly seized with ecstasies, hallucinations and visions. Calling herself the wife of Christ, she bears the same stigmata as the latter. After investigation, the male clergy authorities, smelling the imposture, discover her hidden sex life and sentence her to imprisonment.
Indoors
Drama
Benedetta
Paul Verhoeven
With Virginie Efira, Daphné Patakia, Charlotte Rampling, Lambert Wilson
2 h 11