Benedetta

Based on the book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy, this biographical drama is one of the most challenging of pictures on faith. The story centers around the Italian nun Benedetta Carlini, who found herself haunted by sexual visions of Jesus Christ as well as the lust of a poor woman. As she slowly convinces her convent that she is speaking for God through stigmata, she struggles to come to terms with her visions, her sexual relationship with another woman, and the power she can wield as a religious figure. It should come as no surprise that such an ambitious picture comes from the daring director Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Starship Troopers). The film stars Virginie Efira, Lambert Wilson, Daphne Patakia, Olivier Rabourdin, Clotilde Courau, Charlotte Rampling, and Hervé Pierre.