Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Benedetta 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Bad habits.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 28, 2022

As hard as it is to watch, Paul Verhoeven's Benedetta is even harder to write about. It's an intensely challenging and ugly examination of 17th century Catholicism and its damning effects on just about everyone it touches, flying in the face of Christianity's false claim as the only path to true morality. Needless to say, this is a film almost guaranteed to ruffle feathers... so if you consider yourself unwilling to examine and possibly question your own beliefs, it's gonna be a long 131 minutes. Based on the historical account of lesbian nun Benedetta Carlini (1590-1661), Benedetta depicts the struggle for power in an Italian convent riddled with forbidden sexual desire, false witness, shame, misogyny, and more of organized religion's greatest hits. Blood will be shed, and almost no one will get away clean.

But considering its potentially scathing subject matter (not to mention Verhoeven's filmography, which includes such visceral fare as Robocop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, and of course Showgirls), Benedetta is a disarmingly straight and measured production that, if nothing else, avoids the typical cliché of heroes vs. villains... or in this case, the possibility of one saintly heroine against some kind of corrupt institution. We're first introduced to young Benedetta and her family on the road to Pescia where she hopes to join a convent; they're almost robbed by bandits, but she threatens them with punishment from the Virgin Mary herself, who young Benedetta supposedly communicates with. A bird intervenes, and it's the first of many times that her bold claims will be answered in an alarmingly ambiguous way.

Once Benedetta's father pays a large sum of money for the privilege of his daughter's admission, she's introduced to convent leader Abbess Felicita (Charlotte Rampling) and grows into a young woman (Virginie Efira). Soon, two events happen that change her life dramatically: a younger woman named Bartolomea (Daphne Patakia) joins their ranks to flee her sexually abusive father and brothers, and Benedetta begins to have intense spiritual visions that even carry physical consequences, such as sporadically bleeding stigmata wounds. Some are doubtful of Benedetta's newfound "gifts", including Abbess Felicita and her daughter Christina (Louise Chevillotte), while it's also strongly suspected that Benedetta and Bartolomea have entered into a physical relationship due to their unique emotional bond brought upon by the latter's abusive past. After a change in power at the convent, a higher authority figure is introduced with papal ambassador Alfonso (Lambert Wilson), who's brought in to investigate while outside forces, including the burgeoning Black Plague and a fiery comet sighting, play separate roles in the film's gradually unfolding narrative.

It's a densely dramatic journey, and one in which the idea of steadfast morality is thrown out the window as viewers will constantly struggle to find someone, anyone to root for. Almost every key character uses "God's will" for their own benefit, from personal to political, while Benedetta's deliberate balance of true (on-screen) events with ambiguous ones will keep first-time viewers guessing every step of the way. It's a subversive concoction that's perhaps best summarized in a brief exchange between Abbess Felicita and Benedetta during the film's first half, where the former recognizes her position of authority as part of "a game to be played". Felicita's apprentice has possibly known this for years (although perhaps hidden by the naivete of youth), so it's not long before the master is outplayed at every turn.

Verhoeven directs his source material (Immodest Acts, a 1986 novel by by Judith Brown) with the careful approach of a seasoned filmmaker, showing renewed confidence in just his fourth project since the financially successful but critically lambasted 2000 film Hollow Man and his first since 2016's Elle. And while it does contain its share of Verhoeven-brand camp, from copious fart jokes to those over-the-top religious visions, Benedetta is borderline restrained in comparison with the director's more mainstream American fare, toeing the line carefully between total knee-jerk exploitation and grounded (but still controversial) religious explorations like Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ.

Although it debuted more than a year ago at Cannes in its native France, Benedetta did not receive a wide American theatrical release and was unsurprisingly protested by at least one Catholic group at the 2021 New York Film Festival and other parts of the country. A few months before IFC Films' recent Blu-ray, German distributor Koch Media released a 4K/Blu-ray "Mediabook" combo pack; both discs are fully compatible with Region A players but, in addition to the obvious advantages of the 4K's 2160p, Dolby Vision / HDR10+ enhanced transfer (encoded on a triple-layer disc) and deluxe packaging, this edition also includes a few English-language extras featuring director Paul Verhoeven.

Please note that this Mediabook release was issued with two different cover designs that have identical on-disc content; the other version (Cover "A", which is very similar to the Region A Blu-ray) can be found here.

Benedetta 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Although Benedetta's source material is not true 4K, this 2160p, HDR-enhanced (Dolby Vision / HDR10+) disc offers tangible improvements that boosts the film's already sublime visuals to even greater heights than the excellent Blu-ray. Cinematographer Jeanne Lapoiri shot Benedetta using an ALEXA Mini and Optimo zooms, working with natural light as much as possible, and the result is a painterly image that sports beautiful pockets of color and more nuanced mid-range values. As such, perceived image detail gets a slight uptick; this is partially due to the robust bit rate allowed by a triple-layer (100GB) disc, but more so because of its higher level of dynamic range. Outdoor light, particularly that which shines through windows and doorways into darkened rooms, is now much more striking as well, but its overall effectiveness may vary depending on your TV or projector's local dimming capabilities. In my case it made a noticeable difference, increasing the impact of Benedetta's more quietly natural moments. Its surreal "visions", on the other hand, are where different areas of HDR take over, specifically in regards to color saturation and how these values stand out against dark backgrounds, resulting in once again a more immediately striking image that heightens dramatic tension. In tandem, this visual boost to Benedetta's distinct visual "sides" makes for a standout 4K presentation indeed, though again one that's driven more tangibly by HDR enhancement than the minor bump in fine detail.

As for the included Blu-ray, it's a dual-layered (50GB) disc and, aside from negligible difference in grain structure and overall brightness, appears basically identical to its Region A counterpart with a strong overall appearance that shows no encoding issues and is a fine example of the format's capabilities. This review's screenshots are sourced from that disc and, for obvious reasons, do not reflect the appearance of the 4K's superior visual presentation.

Benedetta 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The secondary DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix, which preserves the film's French language with several subtitle options, offers a largely straightforward sonic presence that opens up sporadically during action scenes and abstract moments, including many of Benedetta's hallucinations. Still, there's more than just front-forward dialogue here, as many of the film's borderline cavernous interiors allow room for light background ambience, whereas the title character's chambers (quite appropriately described as a "cell") contain a more reigned-in, almost claustrophobic presence. It's a palpable contrast that gets slightly more expansive during infrequent visits outside communal walls, such as Abbess Felicita's trip to visit Nuncio Alfonso where the Black Plague can be seen in all its horror, as well as other stray moments like the comet's initial arrival and a nighttime public gathering under its light that leads to tragedy. Then, of course, there's the witch-hunting climax involving a mob of curious onlookers protesting a key character's punishment which ends with a fiery explosion of violence by members of the raucous, impassioned crowd. Somewhere among all this lies the original score by Anne Dudley, which frequently hangs behind most scenes without intruding but comes to the forefront during several key moments. Overall, a fine mix indeed and one that fits the film like a glove.

Not surprisingly for this international release, a German DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio dub is also included as the default option; it has similar if not identical fidelity and volume levels to the original French track. Optional subtitles are also available during the main feature in German, English, and French (SDH).

Benedetta 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc set ships in a Mediabook (Digibook) with separate hubs for each disc on the inside front and back cover. Its dark design elements are attractive, from the provocative front image to a close-up of Benedetta on the rear... and if you're worried about those ugly ratings labels, don't be: they're printed on a removable J-card. The book's interior includes 24 pages of material, mostly in the form of a German-language essay by Laura Erler and Marco Heiter roughly translated as "Sex and Wonder Behind Monastery Walls" as well a a few stills from the film. Menus are all in German but easily navigated. A few mostly English-friendly extras are included on both discs as well.

• The Way to the Monastery (42:49) - This mid-length piece mostly features comments from director Paul Verhoeven, who goes into detail about various parts of the production and its release. Highlights include his introduction to the source novel, sexuality and power, creative differences with the original screenwriter (and Verhoeven's long-time friend) Gerard Soeteman, historical research, adding scenes not present in the original book, receiving hate mail, the original title and poster design, The Last Temptation of Christ, Benedetta's visions, the artwork of Hildegard von Bingen, "your own personal Jesus", female protagonists, and much more. Virginie Efira, recorded separately, also offers a few comments in her native French, but the wide majority of this piece will be accessible to domestic audiences. In English and French, with optional German subtitles.

• Interview with Paul Verhoeven (27:46) - Another candid English-language conversation with Verhoeven -- albeit with text-based questions in German -- this interview has a bit of overlap with the previous piece but steps into different territory at times including Benedetta's supposed connection with the divine, coincidental parallels between the Black Plague and life during COVID-19, casting the role of Bartolomea, his earlier post-Hollywood films including Black Book and Elle, and future projects. In English, with optional German subtitles.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:47) - In French, with no subtitles. Watch an English-friendly version here.

Benedetta 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Paul Verhoeven's Benedetta is a rare film of uncommon power; it's a scathing examination of Catholic doctrines, it presents complicated drama fueled by despicable human behavior, and it has a few well-placed poop jokes. A tough watch for those who hold faith close, but an essential film for anyone unafraid to challenge or at least reflect on their own belief systems. Koch Media's English-friendly and region-free 4K/Blu-ray "Mediabook" edition, released earlier this year, is still easily available and, aside for an upcoming 4K release by UK distributor MUBI, the easiest way to get this great-looking film in UHD with Dolby Vision / HDR10+ enhancement. New viewers may want to test the waters with the cheaper Region A Blu-ray, but fans and collectors should grab this one (or the variant) before it's too late.