Benedetta

Bendetta is an intriguing biographical drama about a 17th century novice nun who has a forbidden love affair. Benedetta is based on historian Judith C. Brown's 1986 book, Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy which covers the controversy surrounding the life of Benedetta Carlini, an Italian nun who allegedly experienced intense spiritual visions and stigmata. Virginie Efira stars as the titular nun, who blurs the line between saint and sinner in her religious fervor, pushing both religious and sexual boundaries, and raising questions within her convent. Charlotte Rampling and Lambert Wilson also star as two figures within the church attempting to uncover the truth behind Benedetta's shocking religious visions and the motives behind them that threaten to shake the Church to its core. [2021, France, 131 min, Rated: NR, in French with English subtitles] Robert Kojder of Flickering Myth writes, “Benedetta functions beyond its ‘sacrilegious’ concept into a moving tale of romance, diabolical oppression, twisted comedy, frenzied plague fear, and transfixing visions that shock and penetrate the mind.” Barry Hertz of Glove and Mail says, “While Benedetta the woman may have been touched by Heaven or cursed from Hell or neither, Benedetta the film is undoubtedly a miracle.” Venue: Cinema Art Theater. Presenter: Rehoboth Beach Film Society.