Benedetta – A Fun Escapist Romp (Early Review)

Dutch director Paul Verhoeven is a provocateur across his very varied filmography over his long career and Benedetta is no different. Making a splash, premiering at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, this French satire drama that is based on a true story will certainly not be for the easily-offended, to its benefit. Billed as the so called hot lesbian nun movie, the film is something much more than that. An admittedly ridiculous watch on many levels, the film uses it to challenge the beliefs of audiences in an often hilarious but always entertaining way. Though there’s plenty of excess in terms of violence, sexuality, and some arguably-sacrilegious moments displayed with plenty of style, that glorification just further underscores its satirical look at blind devotion through the lens of its titular nun. Despite all the ridiculousness and excess which most audiences will probably remember and that may be the most entertaining part about it, what should be remembered is the show-stopping lead performance from Virginie Efira that anchors all the insanity. That being said, at just over the 2 hour mark, the film could be a touch shorter but that’s merely a minor gripe.

Benedetta tells the story of a 17th Century nun named Sister Benedetta (Efira) who becomes smitten with visions of Jesus Christ and God. Religious from a young age, that connection to God was always there and her time at a convent in a small Italian town was all about getting closer to him. Little did she know, she would get closer to the object of her devotion, or did she? Starting with ridiculous dreams and going from hallucinations to possession, her supposed connection grew even stronger. This did not go unnoticed by Benedetta’s fellow sisters and the local residents who saw these events as miracles. Meanwhile, that connection was getting increasingly harder to ignore as she was seen as a saint of sorts though not everyone was a fan of hers, relegating the more experienced wing of the convent to merely bide their time but that time wasn’t coming.  In what became a snowball over the course of the film, Benedetta’s rise was essentially a smokescreen for her blossoming relationship with a new sister named Bartolomea (Patakia) for whom she held conflicted feelings for.

Where those feelings ultimately went was inevitable which only left the question of when Benedetta’s rise would come to an end. Whether or not one believed her or her miracles, it’s hard to deny her own belief. The more her connection with God and the overall belief in her grew, the more empowered she became as she made her way up the hierarchy. Would she be the instrument of her own demise? The tone shifted as the story shifted from Benedetta’s rise to the consequences of that has rise as she handled her new position at the top. As her new power appeared to go to her head, her true motivations were put into question as the line between her will and God’s became increasingly blurry. This was not lost upon Bartolomea and Sister Felicita (Rampling), the Reverend Mother of the convent among others. In the end, something had to give. From there, the insanity was ratcheted up yet another notch as the belief of the people in Benedetta was truly put to the test. Those familiar with the true story will know how Benedetta ends but either way, it will leave audience questioning themselves all the way to the end.

As mentioned, the best part of Benedetta was Efira’s show-stopping performance. She commands every scene as the young, naïve, and impressionable titular nun. We might not agree with her and her actions as a character but it’s easy to empathize with her yearning for meaning and connection. She just lost herself along the way, or did she? The film never provides a clear answer as to which was the case. To that point, Efira plays with that duality and the mystery at the root of her character her arc very well. Patakia, on the other hand, held her own alongside Efira but the thin character of Bartolomea made her feel more like a plot device than an actual character. Rampling’s Sister Felicita made for a strong foil that held Benedetta in check for the most part as her gravitas and screen presence gave her the air of authority to create a compelling dynamic.

At the end of the day, Benedetta is not going to be for everyone and that’s okay but for those looking for some fun escapism, this one may very well be up their alley.

still courtesy of IFC Films

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.