“THE BEST FILM OF THE YEAR — Paul Verhoeven’s deeply crass, catty, naughty, violent nunsploitation saga…[with] lesbian nuns who have sex like veteran porn stars, who fart mid-poop, whose melodramatic acts of betrayal would play beautifully on a daytime soap, who make good, sacrilegious use of a Christ dildo…[is] a sparkling feast of dangerous (to the church) ideas, raucous entertainment, and stunning, morally enraged acts of violence, the result of an eroticism for which there is a steep price to pay.” -K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone

From the perverse yet brilliant mind (and libido) of filmmaker Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Basic Instinct, Showgirls) comes a wicked tale of socio-political power struggles and simmering sapphic lust. In seventeenth-century Tuscany, sheltered nun Benedetta (Virginie Efira) navigates the volatile socio-political landscape of counter-reformation Italy. As she continues to experience unusual visions, the faithful across the country revere her prophecies, deeming her a Catholic mystic. However, her fate soon embarks on a dangerous path as she engages in a torrid sexual affair with her fellow nun Barolomea (Daphne Patakia), an incendiary secret that puts both women’s lives in jeopardy. Verhoeven writes and directs this sensationally sexy historical drama based on the text by historian Judith C. Brown.

This screening is part of Arkadin’s month-long NUNS HAVING FUN series, featuring films that show what really goes on behind the habit.

Runtime: 131 min.