The nun affair that shook the Catholic Church in Italy back in the 1600s come to screen with director Paul Verhoeven in Benedetta.

The film is loosely based on Judith C. Brown’s Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy. The historical events were based on the Church investigation that unveiled sexual relations.

Benedetta stars Virginie Efira (Sibyl), Daphne Patakia, Lambert Wilson (The Matrix series), and Charlotte Rampling (45 Years). The script is written by Verhoeven and David Birke (Elle).

Here’s the official synopsis:

A 17^th– century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair.

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The film looks like an interesting take with a nun skirting the lines as a saint and a sinner with this affair. It is to the point whether she had these visions or is a complete fraud. Nonetheless, Virginie Efira shined in the French drama Sybil, so this is a performance she’ll capture perfectly. It’s also great to see Paul Verhoeven back in the director’s chair since 2016’s Elle. He gave us some memorable action films with RoboCop, Starship Troopers to thrillers with Basic Instinct, and the stripper drama of Showgirls. No matter what your opinion of Verhoeven, he creates memorable films.

The film was showcased at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, New York Film Festival, and BFI London Film Festival.

IFC Films releases Benedetta in select theaters on Friday, December 3^rd. It is then followed by a VOD release on Tuesday, December 21.

Check out the poster below and the trailer that was released earlier last week. Let us know what you think of them.

Source: IFC Films