Paul Verhoeven directing movie about lesbian nun, Blessed Virgin

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Paul Verhoeven is one of the most visceral and accomplished directors, and is coming off one of the most talked-about movies of his career ever – ELLE – which earned star Isabelle Huppert and Oscar nom. The movie turned some heads and won praise, but Verhoeven is about to top himself in the controversial department with his new project which, at its most bluntly describable, is about lesbian nun.

News is that Verhoeven has begun work on the French-language film, BLESSED VIRGIN, based on the book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy. The book chronicles the true story of 17th century nun Benedetta Carlini, who was made an abbess of the covenant and had hallucinations of being murdered. She was later imprisoned for engaging in a sexual relationship with another female nun, Sister Bartolemea, whom Carlini was accused of molesting.

Producer of ELLE, Said Ben Said, posted a picture on Twitter announcing the upcoming start of filming, with Virginie Efira (also in ELLE) set to play Carlini:

SAINTE VIERGE de Paul Verhoeven avec Virginie Efira. En tournage prochainement. pic.twitter.com/kCnSqGYyVc

— Saïd Ben Saïd (@saidbensaid66) April 25, 2017

Needless to say my interest has been piqued, and only partly for the more obvious reasons. Verhoeven always tackles interesting subjects and never shies away from the gritty details, delivering honest and engaging films. The director has stepped back into the spotlight a bit after the success of ELLE, so seeing how the world reacts to this film is one reason to keep an eye out for it.