From 1971 to 2000, Dutch auteur Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Basic Instinct) never went more than three years without making a new film. Since 2000’s Hollow Man, he’s only made two movies (2006’s Black Book, 2016’s Elle) and participated in an experimental project (2012’s Tricked). If all goes well, these newfound long gaps are at an end. According to Screen Daily, Verhoeven already has his next project lined up: Blessed Virgin.
The film is an adaptation of Judith C. Brown‘s non-fiction tome, Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy. That’s a pretty descriptive title as is, but to delve into it further…
Having entered a convent in the Tuscan town of Pescia as a child, Carlini rose-up the ranks, propelled by her claims of a series of lurid mystic visions and the appearance of stigmata on her body.
But she was later ostracized by the church after an investigation discredited her claims as a sham and uncovered evidence of affairs with other nuns in the convent. There has been much academic debate over the true reasons for her downfall.
Nunsploitation* is a bit of crude term, but it’s still right on the money. The majority of the films within that exploitation subgenre see their habit-wearing leads questioning aspects of their faith, having visions, and also engaging in homosexual acts with fellow nuns. Given that Verhoeven has no qualms about getting racy with his subject matter, it sounds like that’s exactly what Blessed Virgin will be: incredibly well-crafted Nunsploitation. Knowing Verhoeven, it will be as lurid as it is dramatically powerful.
Virginie Efira, a Belgian actress who previously worked with Verhoeven on Elle, will play the lead role of 17th century nun Benedetta Carlini. Blessed Virgin‘s screenplay has been adapted from Brown’s book by the filmmaker’s longtime co-writer, Gerard Soeteman. The pair have previously collaborated on nine films, including Black Blook, Elle, and all of Verhoeven’s pre-RoboCop offerings. Said Ben Said will produce via his company, SBS Distribution, which will be overseeing sales at Cannes this year.
SAINTE VIERGE de Paul Verhoeven avec Virginie Efira. En tournage prochainement.
— Saïd Ben Saïd (@saidbensaid66)
* – Represented by a photo from Satanico Pandemonium (1975) at the head of the article.
