Review: Benedetta and The Hand of God

A Double Feature Review!

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Benedetta

Actors Daphne Patakia and Virginie Efira.

Writer-director Paul Verhoeven’s (RoboCop, Showgirls, and Elle) Benedetta takes a deep dive into Catholicism and the church’s system of abuse. Provocative, visionary, and seductive: this 17th-century story is layered with complication and artistry. Verhoeven’s film is not perfect but with sly humor and damnation: Benedetta is still well worth your time. Benedetta is an erotic tale of passion, faith, and betrayal. Verhoeven's newest picture is inspired by a wild true story and based on the non-fiction book (Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy) by author Judith C. Brown. Benedetta has been called the "erotic-lesbian-nun-love-affair-movie," but the film is much more than that. The love story between sister Benedetta (a strong Virginie Efira) and sister Bartolomea (a wonderful Daphne Patakia) is just one aspect of Verhoeven’s larger-than-life religious story.

Our story follows sister Benedetta, a Catholic nun in 17th-century Italy, who believed she truly spoke to the Virgin Mary and even Jesus through a variety of supernatural visions. Benedetta is religious ecstasy that captures the hierarchy of the church through false prophets and sexism. Yes, there is a decent amount of nudity in this film. However, I would argue that most of the nudity is natural and in non-sexual scenes. Verhoeven goes through a great deal of work to scrub out the male gaze in the picture. I applaud him for this. While focusing on sister Benedetta and sister Bartolomea's relationship, we also see numerous amounts of religious hypocrisy from the higher leaders. The film is also a scathing critique of the Catholic Church. Verhoeven’s film is campy, funny, outrageous, and brimming with drama. Benedetta is a film that will offend many, but it is also a film that they cannot deny happened. Benedetta was a real story that breathes new life through the artist behind the camera telling this wild tale.

Actress Virginie Efira

Benedetta is rated Not Rated (NR).

Benedetta had its world premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

Directed by Paul Verhoeven

Starring Virginie Efira, Daphne Patakia, Lambert Wilson, Olivier Rabourdin, Clotilde Courau, Charlotte Rampling, and Hervé Pierre.

The Hand of God

Actor Filippo Scotti

Writer-director Paolo Sorrentino’s (Youth and The Great Beauty) The Hand of God is a rich coming-of-age film; that's deeply personal and beautiful. The joys and heartbreak of cinema seep through the walls in Sorrentino’s The Hand of God. This is a film that takes its time, polishing its story as it blossoms before your very eyes. We follow the story of a boy, Fabietto Schisa (newcomer Filippo Scotti), and his life in the Naples of the 1980s. Fabietto doesn’t have many friends or a significant other and wants to study philosophy in college. He enjoys his time listening to music and watching Diego Maradona playing for his home team, Napoli. Fabietto enjoys spending time with his large family on the beautiful seas of Naples, Italy. Fabietto seems to also have an attraction to his emotionally troubled aunt Patrizia (a strong Luisa Ranieri). Patrizia loves to flaunt her beauty to the world. One way of doing so is by sunbathing naked in front of her entire family. She doesn't care. In fact, she kind of likes it. Yet, tragedy strikes Fabietto's family, turning this coming-of-age story upside down. Through grief and loss, Fabietto must learn how to keep moving forward and become a man. The story is rich and personal, while the cinematography (Daria D'Antonio) is breathtaking throughout. The Hand of God is not Sorrentino's best work, but it is his most personal to date. A story and film I can appreciate. The Hand of God captures the wonders of cinema from the beaches of Naples to the sound of tears falling from one's face.

Actors Filippo Scotti and Luisa Ranieri.

The Hand of God is rated R (Restricted) Sexual Content | Language | Brief Drug Use | Some Graphic Nudity.

Now Streaming on Netflix

The Hand of God had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival.

Directed by Paolo Sorrentino

Starring Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo, Teresa Saponangelo, Marlon Joubert, Luisa Ranieri, Renato Carpentieri, and Massimiliano Gallo.