With explicit scenes of intercourse and even a figure of the Virgin Mary used as a sex toy, “Benedetta” strongly shook religious groups.
“Benedetta”from the director Paul Verhoeven, is probably one of the most controversial films of recent years. Its plot has angered the religious, but —quite the contrary— it has delighted critics and viewers (on Rotten Tomatoes they have given it 84% and 90%, respectively). The great controversy is not only in its story, but also in the tone of the erotic scenes, full of lust when portraying the love affair of a lesbian nun. Next, we tell you more details.
What is “Benedetta” about?
This reads the official synopsis shared by MUBI: “A scandalous lesbian romance rocks a quiet 17th-century Tuscan convent. Benedetta, a nun who has increasingly sensual and violent visions of Jesus, arouses the suspicions of the abbess Sister Felicita.
“Mistrust grows when newcomer Bartolomea develops a dangerous attraction to Benedetta.”
inspired by the book “Immodest acts: the life of a lesbian nun in renaissance Italy”, “Benedetta” tells us the true story (although with many narrative liberties) of a nun recently arrived at a convent. She has always had the sense that God has a special purpose for her and has felt a certain gift for miracles. In fact, she has visions with Jesus.
However, when a nun named Bartolomea joins her convent, the protagonist begins to question her faith and what is truly divine, especially when her visions lead her to lustful encounters with her partner. Because of her, this led to some really explicit sex scenes.
“Benedetta” will premiere on the streaming platform Filmin on April 20.
“Benedetta” will premiere on Filmin on April 20. Photo: Filmin capture
“Benedetta”: accusations of “blasphemy” and a chaotic uproar
The film “Benedetta” gained great attention for its story, its director’s vision, but also for not fearing censorship and exploring provocative sequences that angered religious communities in different countries. Scenes like the one in which a figure of the Virgin Mary is used as a sex toy, or the one in which the main character has intercourse with representations of Jesus, definitely did not go unnoticed.
For example, the Catholic Information Agency (ACI Press), based in Peru, began a signature drive to “stop the spread of the blasphemous film.” According to Sensacine, the film was banned in Russia despite having a scheduled release, after its “provocative content” was noted by the Ministry of Culture.
ACI Prensa published an initiative to stop the distribution of “Benedetta”. Photo: Twitter capture
Although the feature film had a run at certain festivals, such as the one in New York (in which a group of Catholic protesters sought to prevent its projection), the truth is that the word blasphemy has been present in most of the criticisms that the production has received . As expected, Verhoeven has a clear opinion on the subject.
Protesters showed up at the premiere of “Benedetta” at the New York Film Festival. Photo: Twitter capture
“I really don’t understand how you can blaspheme about something that happened. Even in 1625. You can’t change history, you can’t change the things that happened, and I based myself on the things that happened. So I think the word blasphemy in this case is stupid,” the filmmaker said in an interview with Variety.
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