BENEDETTA

Set in Italy and based upon true events, BENEDETTA tells the story of a nun who claims to have visions of Jesus and stigmatic episodes while serving in a convent. While receiving a visit from her parents, the family quickly saves the life of a young peasant girl, Bartolomea, from her abusive father as the girl claims she wishes to stay at the convent with Benedetta's parents footing the bill. Benedetta becomes a mentor to Bartolomea but what begins as a mentorship, soon turns into a romantic love affair. Benedetta continues to have visions of Jesus and convinces the rest of the convent that God is speaking through her and as such, becomes the new Mother Superior of their group while in the process making an enemy of the former Mother Superior's mentor all while playing against the backdrop of the plague that's ravishing Europe at this time. The film kind of was and kind of wasn't what I expected it to be. At times it's sheer blasphemy and at other times it can be religiously moving. Storyline wise, I was checked out within the first 30 minutes but pushed through to see how it would end. I would recommend skipping this one. 4/10