Based on a non-fiction book by Judith C. Brown, “Benedetta” is the latest motion picture from Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven. It focuses on the years in which Benedetta rose to the summit of the Theatine convent in Tuscany, Italy.

In the film, premiering at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, nuns play power games against each other in 17th-century Italy. Featuring powerful cinematography with religious, erotic, blasphemous, sexual, and violent scenes, this film is sure to get attention worldwide with its sexual intrigue, emotional intensity, and unexpected moments.

Powerful performances from Virginie Efira as the titular nun, Daphne Patakia as the vulnerable peasant girl Bartolomea, Charlotte Rampling as the Mother Superior Felicita, and Louise Chevillotte, as her daughter Christina, along with Lambert Wilson, Hervé Pierre, and Olivier Rabourdin. Opening in theaters on December 3.

Initially scheduled for release at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019, but Paul Verhoeven unexpectedly suffered a hip injury during production in December 2018, due to the set’s location which involved lots of hills and climbing. Post-production in Amsterdam had to be delayed until the following June in order to recover from his surgery. However, subsequent complications caused an intestinal obstruction that ended in a life-threatening colon perforation; fortunately, he was hospitalized in time. Verhoeven and producer Saïd Ben Saïd agreed to delay the release to 2020 in order for Verhoeven to recover, and be fully present during the post-production process. However, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic caused the movie to be delayed another year.