Paul Verhoeven
Benedetta

Honestly, I would have skipped watching Paul Verhoeven's latest film titled "Benedetta". But what persuaded me was the insistent invitation from an old friend of mine, with a feminist orientation, who suggested watching the film (which she claimed was interesting) while promising me sexual rewards (like, and I quote verbatim, "if you come with me to the cinema, I'll give you the patata..."). Obviously, as well known, it is good to consent to the invitation of a lady, but since I already didn't have high expectations for what the Dutch director usually delivers, his latest film didn't change my opinion.

The plot centers on a real nun, Benedetta Carlini, who lived from 1591 to 1661. Entering the Tuscan monastery of Tuscany, the protagonist does not go unnoticed not only for her mystical fervor towards Jesus Christ (with intense visions) but also for a too extensive, non-mystical transport towards a nun named Bartolomea with whom she engages, unleashing an unstoppable libido. Naturally, this libertine conduct, filled with erotic escapades, will constitute a scandal, and the papal nuncio will have no choice but to put her on trial for heresy and intensely practiced lesbianism, expelling her from the convent.

If this is, in a nutshell, the story, it must be borne in mind that, dealing with a theme like the subtle link between mystical love and so-called carnal passion, one treads on mined and slippery ground. And it's not just about real characters like Teresa of Avila, well known for her intense and strange mystical visions of her spouse Jesus (were they intense enough to cause her an orgasm?). In cinematic terms, it should be noted, the theme has been addressed before with interesting results. Just remember a delicately crafted film that the great John Huston shot in 1957 titled "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison" with names like Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum. And other directors tackled the subject like Bunuel (with "Viridiana," too daring for Francoist Spain at the time), Borowicz, Ken Russell with a very risqué work like "The Devils". Not to forget that in the early '70s in Italy, after the well-deserved success of the Boccaccian "Decameron" by Pasolini, there was a flourishing of very licentious Decameron films in which villagers and nuns sensitive to the calls of the senses were not spared spicy details (and among the various titles, it would be enough to mention a work titled "Metti lo diavolo tuo nel mio inferno"...).

Therefore, the film "Benedetta" certainly does not shine for originality. If anything, what characterizes it is Verhoeven's emphatic directorial style, which here again proves to be redundant and, at times, grotesque. It would be enough to note how, dealing with the hefty theme of mystical transport overflowing into very material love, the director lingers and wallows on very prurient details, just to overemphasize. I wouldn't know how to define otherwise his highlighting of how a statue of the Madonna (nothing to do with the homonymous pop singer...) is used for improper purposes during the fiery encounters between Benedetta and her lover. Was it really necessary to represent so explicitly the erotic acrobatics between the two lovers (and who writes is still very lukewarm on the subject of faith and religion)?

In short, in my opinion, even in this film, a typical constant of Verhoeven emerges, who, on the subject of sex, does not have a sunny and joyous vision but rather harbors the underlying thought that the whole affair has something shady, murky, ambiguous. It would be enough, to have confirmation, to go back and watch a film of his shot in 1983 titled "The Fourth Man" in which the female protagonist seems to be a dark lady, as threatening as a praying mantis. Since then, the director hasn't really changed, and resorting to Freudian interpretations, it seems to me that he has a fragile Ego, tossed between an imperious and looming Superego on one side and a volcanic Id full of healthy libidinal urges. Perhaps psychoanalytic therapy could be useful to him...

Obviously, I do not intend to diminish the intense acting of actresses like Virginie Efira, as Benedetta, and Duphne Patakia (Bartolomea, her lover), nor do I want to forget the ambiguous Mother Superior of the convent like Charlotte Rampling, nor the papal nuncio well played by Lambert Wilson. However, the impression of a film with complacent and melodramatic tones remains, as per Verhoeven's agitated style.

And honestly, my friend was also very puzzled by what we saw the other evening. Yet another confirmation that Verhoeven's films can be a source of disappointment for attentive viewers. For me, a certainty, just as I had yet another confirmation after watching the film that the so-called patata cannot disappoint...