Search results
In BENEDETTA, Benedetta Carlini -- who believes she has a direct connection with Mother Mary -- is brought to live in a convent as a girl. Later, as a young woman (Virginie Efira), she has visions of Jesus that cause her to act peculiarly in front of the other nuns.
- Parent Reviews
[[Worst scene disclaimer: HORRIFIC sexual torture scene in...
- Lady Chatterley
It would be much too easy to classify writer-director...
- Blue Is The Warmest Color
Parents need to know that Blue Is the Warmest Color is a...
- Basic Instinct
This over-the-top murder mystery features a bisexual blonde...
- Charlotte Rampling
We would like to show you a description here but the site...
- Parent Reviews
- Paul Verhoeven meets nunsploitation.
- What's your favorite Paul Verhoeven movie?
- New Fall Movies 2021: 40 Films to Look Forward To
- Verdict
By Siddhant Adlakha
Updated: Sep 27, 2021 4:05 pm
Posted: Sep 26, 2021 7:00 pm
Benedetta was reviewed out of the New York Film Festival, where it made its North American premiere. It will debut in theaters on Dec. 3.
Master provocateur Paul Verhoeven — known for erotic thrillers Showgirls and Basic Instinct, but also for biting sci-fi satires Robocop and Starship Troopers — returns for the first time in five years with Benedetta, a French-language period biopic that’s far less concerned with facts and details, and far more preoccupied with matters of the spirit and the flesh. Set in 17th century Tuscany, the film retells the rise and fall of Benedetta Carlini, a Catholic abbess whose undoing, according to some historical accounts, was owed to her lofty egotism, though most attribute it to her lesbian relationship with a fellow nun, Sister Bartolomea. The blasphemous subject matter is right up Verhoeven’s alley, and he crafts a suitably salacious piece. It may not have anything novel to say about religion or desire, but its presentation of sexual and political power makes for an incredibly enjoyable 127 minutes.
As a child, young Benedetta has a unique relationship to the Virgin Mary, whose statuette appears to grant her mystical wishes. This opens up an important avenue for her middle-class family, who’s able to enroll her in a prestigious convent under the tutelage of the stone-faced Sister Felicita (Charlotte Rampling), albeit for a hefty dowry, which qualifies Benedetta as a “bride of Christ.” From the get-go, the film unfolds at the hypocritical intersection of money, power, and religion, which feel so intrinsically bound here that even supposed miracles by Benedetta are looked upon, first and foremost, as a means to political ends. The overarching plot is constantly contorted by these larger forces, but a more intimate story emerges just as quickly, when a newly enrolled Benedetta is instructed, in no uncertain terms, that she must not feel comfortable in her skin (“Your worst enemy is your body,” she’s told).
Showgirls
Basic Instinct
Robocop
Starship Troopers
Total Recall
Other -- let us know in the comments.
Cinematographer Jeanne Lapoirie brings a skilled and measured eye to these sequences. Her camera never shies away from nudity — doing so would only run counter to a story about characters breaking free from bodily shame — but her lighting subtly draws our gaze towards the characters’ faces during sexual acts, no matter what’s in the frame. However, their bare bodies are lit evenly during scenes where their physicalities, and the way they move across the screen, are meant to signify change. Sometimes the nudity is playful, as Benedetta and Bartolomea’s frolic signifies a steadily increasing comfort. Other times, it becomes an opportunity for Efira to saunter and stand tall over Patakia, and for Benedetta to seize control of their sexual dynamic, just as she begins to climb the abbey’s hierarchical ladder.
These stories of sexual and political power run parallel to one another, and their clash proves to be a source of personal conflict for Benedetta — a woman as committed to Christ as she is to herself — but the film seldom explores their broader overlap in any meaningful thematic sense (despite one particularly provocative use of the Virgin Mary’s image). It often skirts close to exploring the intersection of suffering with both religion and sexuality, but its instances of spiritual and physical masochism are barely woven together, despite the presence of self-flagellating rituals; the extent of Verhoeven’s commentary on the matter is limited to fleeting, unspoken exchanges. However, the edit’s fleeting nature works wonders for the movie’s surprisingly snappy dialogue, which takes conversations about spirituality and laces them with piercing snark. To slow down and linger on these exchanges would be a disservice, given how unrelentingly funny the film ends up being.
Despite its lack of meaningful visual exploration, Benedetta is gorgeous to look at.
“
Despite its lack of meaningful visual exploration, Benedetta is gorgeous to look at, from the way its dim, candle-lit chambers illuminate sweat and bodily contours, to how its borderline farcical blood-red wash during several scenes matches Efira’s volatile performance. Benedetta is a woman caught somewhere between madness and liberation. When she lays down holy edicts, she does so in a voice that may or may not be her own, offering Efira and the actors around her the chance to play within a wonderfully theatrical space, where the operatic is allowed to clash with the naturalistic, and where there are few limits to what a performance can achieve. When Benedetta assumes poses and positions reminiscent of religious paintings, Efira rides a delicate line, radiating a Christ-like mercy while allowing brief displays of opportunism to pierce her holy veil.
The sly way Benedetta recreates Biblical imagery calls into question the nature of that imagery in the first place. This simple idea is perhaps Verhoeven’s most overt critique of religious institutions — how holy can something truly be, if it can so easily be aped and bastardized? — but the inevitable backlash to the film is much more likely to stem from its unapologetic displays of sensuality, and its sense of unashamed physical freedom in a religious context, a critique that ends up much more nuanced and self-assured than broad statements about religious iconography.
Benedetta is led by a wildly fun performance from Virginie Efira as a real-life 17th century lesbian nun. Equal parts funny, sensual and incendiary, it’s a committed work from director Paul Verhoeven — a master of tonal balance — even if its exploration of the war between body and spirit occasionally falls short.
- Siddhant Adlakha
Oct 5, 2021 · Benedetta Release Date and Where To Watch It. IFC Films. "Benedetta" will hit theaters on December 3, 2021. The film had its world premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in competition for...
- BJ Colangelo
Sep 5, 2024 · For example, the Ducati collaboration skin for the heroes Irithel and Benedetta this time will cost around 6,000 – 10,000 Diamonds which you can get through the MLBB X Ducati event. This collaboration between MLBB and Ducati not only makes playing fun, but also increases fans for both brands.
Shadow Ranger32000 or 599. Honor Blade269. Street Blow 2021/01 Starlight Member. Death Oath Limited-time Event. Moonblade Limited-time Event. Panigale V4S Rider Obtained via the MLBB X Ducati event. Quantum Edge749.
Dec 3, 2021 · Set in plague-ravaged Tuscany (doesn’t that sound familiar?) in the 17th century, the film follows the very real figure of Benedetta Carlini (Virginie Efira), a daughter of wealth betrothed to a...
People also ask
When will 'Bendetta' be released?
Does Benedetta feel comfortable in her skin?
Will 'Benedetta' be a festival season release?
Is Benedetta a good movie?
Benedetta Limited Skin Draw!! On this What's New? volume, we are going to show you how we got Benedetta's Death Oath Collector Epic skin in the Grand Collect...
- 6 min
- 30.5K
- Toym Traveller
