Walking a tightrope of genres, conflicting ideas, and tones like only he can, Paul Verhoeven tackles sex, power, and faith in this intimate and uncompromising film.
In the late 17th century, a plague ravages the land and Benedetta Carlini joins the convent in Tuscany as a novice. Capable from an early age of performing miracles, and whose religious visions inspire very human lusts, Benedetta's impact on life in the convent and its community is immediate and momentous. [131 min; drama, romance; French and Latin with English subtitles]
"Verhoeven clearly wants us to laugh; the movie’s a gas. But he doesn’t mind if we think too—about the earthy realities of the body, the higher abstractions of the soul and all the thornily ambiguous ways they do and don’t connect." — Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
"This is a significant addition to the Verhoeven canon, meaning it’s elegantly crafted, formidably well performed and as fascinating as it is lurid." — Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
"In Benedetta, master provocateur Paul Verhoeven demolishes the line between the sacred and the profane." — Clarisse Loughrey, Independent (UK)
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