Lesbians, assemble. It looks like our prayers have been answered. Coming to Irish cinemas next year, March 2022, is none other than Benedetta – a queer, erotic nun thriller directed by Paul Verhoeven.
The film is based on Judith C. Brown’s book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy, and follows the true story of Benedetta Carlini, including her affair with another nun in their convent.
New poster for Paul Verhoeven's #Benedetta. pic.twitter.com/2HcyI1yugp
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) November 2, 2021
Having received its world premiered at the Cannes Flim Festival on July 9, 2021, the film is gearing up for its full release this December. Some lucky viewers in the English capital have already had a chance to see the flick, as it also screened earlier this year as a part of the 2021 London Film Festival.
However, the film has unsurprisingly received some backlash from religious communities, with all hell breaking loose in September at its New York screening. Protestors picketed the event with banners labeling the film as ‘blasphemous’, with one demonstrator asking, “Why the endless insults to Jesus?” Benedetta also faced criticism for including a scene where a Virgin Mary statue is used as a sex toy, but some might say they should be praised for their innovation!
Verhoeven responded to the outrage by saying: “I don’t really understand how you can really blaspheme about something that happened, even if it’s in 1625. You cannot change history, you cannot change things that happened, and I based it on the things that happened. So I think the word blasphemy, in this case, is stupid.”
The 87 year-old director is the mind behind popular films such as Basic Instinct, Showgirls, and RoboCop and received an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe award for his film Elle. This film stars Virginie Efira as Benedetta, alongside Charlotte Rampling, Daphné Patakia, Lambert Wilson, and Olivier Rabourdin.
Benedetta will be available on some on-demand services from December 21, with its Irish release commencing on March 25, 2022.
© 2021 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
Support GCN
GCN has been a vital, free-of-charge information service for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.
During this global COVID pandemic, we like many other organisations have been impacted greatly in the way we can do business and produce. This means a temporary pause to our print publication and live events and so now more than ever we need your help to continue providing this community resource digitally.
GCN is a registered charity with a not-for-profit business model and we need your support. If you value having an independent LGBTQ+ media in Ireland, you can help from as little as €1.99 per month. Support Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.
comments. Please sign in to comment.