Sacrilicious – Benedetta (2021)

Nothing says it’s Christmas season quite like a sexually charged and boundary-pushing criticism of the Catholic church and its power structure. Underneath its blasphemous outer layer, Benedetta is a well-told interpretation of historical events and a surprisingly cogent analogy of modern culture.

Based on a true story set in 17th century Italy, a young nun is confronted with temptations of the flesh and befallen by the holy signs of stigmata. A power struggle ensues over the authenticity of the wounds of Christ and brings much attention to the convent as the plague sweeps across Europe. 

Paul Verhoeven hadn’t directed a film in five years and even faced a number of delays with this film, but he certainly came back with a vengeance. He doesn’t pull any punches aimed at the Catholic church’s religious hypocrisy and he makes sure to go below the belt with plenty of overt sexuality. He has something of an adversarial relationship with religion but values its symbolism as well. He certainly went out of his way to over-sexualize aspects of the film but it’s done within the context of dark humor. It’s meant to offend those who would be offended by it and definitely hits that mark. As Homer Simpson once said, “Mmm, sacrilicious.” There are also some scenes of extreme violence because, well, it’s Verhoeven and that’s what he does but it’s executed with a dark sense of humor. However, if/when you actually peel back the layers of sex and violence, there’s a well-articulated story at the heart of it.

Verhoeven co-wrote the screenplay with David Birke, based on the book (Immodest Acts) by historian Judith C. Brown. It explores the nature of Sister Benedetta’s lesbian relationship with a young woman who’s taken into the convent and dials the intensity up on that relationship. While the graphic nature of the sex scenes is meant to push boundaries, the relationship itself is explored in the context of love in the face of a religion that says such a thing is impossible or implicitly evil. It’s actually a very intricate (albeit over-the-top) allegory for how women aren’t taken at face value, endlessly scrutinized and attacked despite no evidence to the contrary, sometimes even by other women. Verhoeven is a master of inserting very thoughtful refined themes behind his penchant for astounding visuals. 

Virginie Efira was great in the titular role. She may get dismissed out of hand because of the sexual nature of the character or the sheer amount of nudity required in the role, but her performance stands above that on its own merit. It’s a very complex role to play and as the audience, you don’t know if she’s faking it or if she’s been taken over by the spirit of Christ. Then there’s the entire question of her burgeoning sexuality and years of repression that she brings to the screen as well. Watching her match wits with the higher ranking members of the church is an interesting bit of political positioning as well and she does it all very well. 

Charlotte Rampling stars as the abbess, the Reverend Mother, Sister Felicita. She is a phenomenal actress and her venerable presence is essential in establishing the hierarchy of power within the church and shaping Benedetta as sympathetic. Daphne Patakia was also very good as Sister Bartolomea who is the love interest for Benedetta. While he’s not in it that much, Lambert Wilson plays the papal nuncio Alfonso with his patented degree of smarm. Those three performances are key in shaping the story and getting the audience invested. 

If you’ve been reading me for any extended period of time, you’ll know I like films that push the envelope but I can only imagine how off-putting this would be to someone who’s even the least bit Christian. If you can put aside the elements that are meant to be overtly offensive, it’s an intelligent and provocative criticism of the church.

Recommendation: Fans of Paul Verhoeven will probably love this one for all the reasons they became fans in the first place and there are some fantastic performances that balance the more outlandish parts.

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