SummaryIn the late 17th 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.
Directed By:Paul Verhoeven
Written By:David Birke, Paul Verhoeven, Judith C. Brown, Pascal Bonitzer, Gerard Soeteman
Benedetta
Metascore
Generally Favorable
75
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
75
79% Positive
30 Reviews
30 Reviews
18% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Nov 30, 2021
100
Benedetta continues Verhoeven’s strong run with as good a movie as he’s ever made.
Dec 3, 2021
90
Verhoeven clearly wants us to laugh; the movie’s a gas. But he doesn’t mind if we think too — about the earthy realities of the body, the higher abstractions of the soul and all the thornily ambiguous ways they do and don’t connect.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
69% Positive
38 Ratings
38 Ratings
22% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
9% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Dec 3, 2021
10
Benedetta is a story that might already sounds familiar, but it's not, it's more than just a story, it's a fascinating and powerful story that superbly well perform, well craft, and well directed, arranging drama and romance comparable, Benedetta it's a powerful true story in a very powerful religion, and the movie itself for me is one of 2021 Masterpiece, i highly recommended.
Aug 30, 2024
8
Wow, what an unsettling movie, not quite a 7 not quite an 8, I'll say 7.5/10 and round up to an 8. Perhaps not my favorite from Verhoeven but it was certainly a wild ride, it takes about 20 minutes to get rolling but once it starts it simply doesn't let up. This movie sort of has it all, sex, love, drama, humor, horror, exorcist-y vibes, it's just a wild tale from beginning to end. I went into it blind, and I recommend it for the best experience tbh. That being said, this is definitely not a movie for everyone, absolutely not for kids haha, also if you're a prude and or a proud christian you can happily skip this one I imagine. As to the technical aspects, I would say the cinematography was absolutely gorgeous, the set design and costume design were immaculate (legit oscar worthy), and the acting was surprisingly good. I can honestly say this is a movie I will never watch again, but I think it is worth watching at least once.
Jul 9, 2021
83
If Benedetta is a joke that Verhoeven is in on, and that is designed to play to those in on it too, we can at least be thankful that it’s a good joke – not that there’s anyone up there to be thankful to.
Dec 3, 2021
80
This is a significant addition to the Verhoeven canon, meaning it’s elegantly crafted, formidably well performed and as fascinating as it is lurid.
Dec 9, 2021
75
Fascinating, garish, and compelling even with an overlong 130-odd minute running time, Benedetta dabbles in some of Verhoeven’s career-long weaknesses while highlighting a great many of his strengths.
Jul 12, 2021
60
Treat Benedetta as a pile-up of shallow pleasures undercut with a sardonic wink and some fairly obvious comments on power and corruption, and there’s fun to be had. Look for any deeper logic and you’ll be disappointed.
Dec 1, 2021
0
There is perhaps an intriguing movie here somewhere — “Who decides what is God’s will?” is one lingering question —but to find it you have to slice away all the bawdy and ultra-violent excesses that are clearly intended to push buttons, like a 5-year-old testing her parents’ patience. Yawn.
Nov 10, 2023
8
Inspired by a true event, it is a rather unusual cross between religion and eroticism, with a pinch of scandal, just enough to provoke curiosity. From an unrecognizable Paul Verhoeven, the same one who directed Robocop.
Oct 7, 2025
6
An interesting and very Paul verhoeven fictionalized take on the life of Benedetta. With a large dose of his classic penchant for eroticism and violence, there are some interesting dramatic moments and a constant sense of an unreliable narrator as we get to witness her visions without knowing if they are true or not. We are often presented with moments of evidence leaning both to her divinity with god and that she may be unstable/mad/compulsively lying. While I love we never get a definitive answer either way, its presented as such that the viewer is forced to question what they think they know (although I strongly suspect verhoeven believes the latter). Overall the pacing is good and cinematography is fine with some compelling direction and editing to keep the pacing tight. Overall in spite of all of does well, it tries to be a jack of all trades and becomes a master of none.
Dec 23, 2021
6
I can't help but wonder how does it work when a film is trying in every possible and obvious way to be provocative and disruptive, and yet fails to achieve that goal for the simple but crucial reason that the viewer is simply not impressed or shocked by it? Therefore, another important question arises: Are its qualities more valuable to viewers who are shocked by its subject matter and images? And if so, is that a strength of the film for those viewers, or a weakness for others like me?
I'm confused. Paul Verhoeven delivers a sufficiently polished film. Especially in its visual aspects, even in the face of the apparent simplicity of its mise-en-scène but basically its qualities outside of that, neither provoke a real reaction, nor say anything noteworthy.
Or at least I admit it didn't in my case.
Dec 8, 2021
6
Immidiately from the opening scenes the set feels artificial, and lacks the extras to make it believable. It is only until Benedetta goes to the sisterhood that the set becomes more natural. The story itself is erratic, and tough to follow along, and because of that it becomes a Lesbian of God taboo proto-porn - and well, frankly... texts and documentation from the 17th century probably were just as descriptive about Benedetta's sexuality then too.
May 22, 2023
1
RIDICULE
Lamentable et prétentieux Surjoué par les rôles principaux,
Mal joué par les secondaires. Aucune intensité, aucune dramaturgie, plat. Éfira, quelle catastrophe.
Le duo infernal Rempling / Wilson, pathétique comme d'habitude. Sérieux, faut arrêter les films "français" Verhoeven que t'arrive-t-il ?
Une production et une distribution italienne auraient été préférables. Ton tryptique Religion / Sexe / Violence est éculé.
Production Company:
- SBS Productions
- Pathé
- France 2 Cinéma
- France 3 Cinéma
- Topkapi Films
- Belga Productions
- Belga Films Fund
- Beside Productions
- Canal+
- Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC)
- Ciné+
- Cinémage 13
- Cofimage 30
- Cofinova 15
- France Télévisions
- Indéfilms 7
- Nederlands Filmfonds
- Palatine Etoile 16
- Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Release Date:Dec 3, 2021
Duration:2 h 11 m
Rating:TV-MA
Awards
Women Film Critics Circle Awards
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
VHS Awards
• 3 Nominations
Cannes Film Festival
• 2 Nominations
