IFC Films has announced that they’ll be giving director Paul Verhoeven’s religious thriller Benedetta a theatrical and VOD release on December 3rd – just in time for the Christmas season! The French-language film will be playing at the IFC Center and Film Lincoln Center in New York and at the Royal and The Alamo Drafthouse in Los Angeles.
Benedetta, which had its world debut at the Cannes Film Festival and will be making its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival, is based on Judith C. Brown’s non-fiction book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy. If the name “Verhoeven” doesn’t already draw you into this one, you can probably decide whether or not you want to see the movie based on that title alone.
Scripted by Verhoeven and David Birke, the film has the following synopsis:
In the late 15th century, with plague ravaging the land, Benedetta Carlini joins the convent in Pescia, Tuscany, as a novice. Capable from an early age of performing miracles, Benedetta’s impact on life in the community is immediate and momentous. Benedetta takes in a young woman to her convent, and the two begin a passionate affair.
Virginie Efira (Bye Bye Morons) stars as the titular Benedetta, while Daphne Patakia (Versailles) plays Bartolomea, the woman she has an affair with. Charlotte Rampling (45 Years), Lambert Wilson (The Matrix Reloaded), Olivier Rabourdin (Taken), and Louise Chevillotte (The World After Us) are also in the cast.
Benedetta was produced by Said Ben Said, Michel Merkt, and Jerome Seydoux.
Verhoeven’s previous credits include Flesh+Blood, RoboCop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Showgirls, Starship Troopers, Hollow Man, and Black Book. When a director has a line-up like that, it means I’m going to check out any new thing they make. Prior to Benedetta, Verhoeven’s most recent film was the 2016 revenge thriller Elle.