Benedetta

Benedetta is a historical drama set in seventeenth-century Italy, where a young woman named Benedetta Carlini is placed in a convent in Pescia. As she grows into a nun, she experiences religious visions and develops stigmata, drawing attention from Catholic authorities. A new novice, Bartolomea, arrives at the convent and the two women form a secret romantic and sexual relationship. The affair, along with Benedetta's visions and her rise within the community, brings her into conflict with the Church and with the convent's former leader, Felicita. The film is based on Judith C. Brown's nonfiction book about the historical Benedetta Carlini.

Paul Verhoeven directed and co-wrote the screenplay with David Birke. It is the sixteenth film he has directed, following Elle in 2016. Virginie Efira plays Benedetta, with Charlotte Rampling as Felicita, Daphné Patakia as Bartolomea and Lambert Wilson as a papal nuncio, among a credited cast of thirty-nine. The production was a European co-production involving companies in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Released in 2021, the film had a budget of about 24 million dollars and took roughly 3 million dollars worldwide, a wide gap between cost and theatrical returns. On TMDB it holds a rating of 6.6 out of 10 from around 1,210 votes.