"The Holy Virgin" A drama by Paul Verhoeven about a Lesbian Nun. Story, composition, etc.

Captivating, intriguing storyline The Holy Virgin, transfers to ancient times, to the territory of Italy during the Renaissance. 

The film tells about the scandalous life story of the nun Benedetta Carlini.

For the literary basis of the film, Verhoeven chose a book by American writer and historian Judith S. Brown called Immodest Acts, which was rewritten for the script by the director together with David Birk (who also took part in the creation of the psychological thriller She).

In writing her book, Judith S. Brown is said to have worked with little-known Florentine archival material from the late XNUMXth century, which allegedly contained evidence of same-sex attraction among certain Italian convents of that era.

According to the plot of the work, in the midst of a plague epidemic, a young girl Benedetta Carlini goes to a monastery in the city of Pescia (Tuscany). Benedetta is regularly visited by various visions of a religious and erotic nature, which forces representatives of the church to investigate the nature of these "insights", and this, in turn, sheds light on some features of Benedetta's daily life and friendships with confederates.

More about the plot

The action of the picture covers the times of the XNUMXth century and tells about the fate of the nun Benedetta Carlini, played by Virginie Efira, an Italian actress. For a while she was considered a soothsayer, and then she was accused of homosexuality and deceit.

Sister Benedetta was exiled at the age of nine to a convent, where by the age of 23 she began to have religious and erotic visions. Soon she receives the post of abbess of the monastery, thanks to her statements about marriage with a god. Brown found several records from a series of interrogations conducted from 1619 to 1623. A court was appointed and Carlini is sent to prison, in which, after 35 years, she dies.

The film was written by Gerard Suteman, who worked with Paul Verhoeven on such films as The Black Book, Flesh + Blood and Clockwork.

Was the article helpful?

Thank you very much!

YES! >. No, bad :

Send this to help me!