In our off-hours away from the Vanyaland news desks, one of the best choices we made during the whole COVID-19 pandemic was to do a deep dive into the filmography of Paul Verhoeven. Yes, he’s made masterpieces — crafting gems like Robocop, Total Recall, and Starship Troopers should automatically get a director a lifetime free pass at all the buffets in Hollywood — but, even better, he’s made interesting films, especially if you’re willing to read subtitles. If you’re not, though, there’s one English-language film he made that you should check out, which is 1985’s Flesh + Blood, a deeply nihilistic take on the medieval tropes we know and love, which features a scene in which a rich lord’s soldiers hurl plague-ridden dog meat over the walls of a castle (so Rutger Hauer and his band of merry evildoers can catch it, of course). Why are we bringing this up now? Well, Verhoeven has returned to that era for his latest film, Benedetta, a movie about miracle-performing lesbian nuns. Pathe! dropped a trailer for this surely not-at-all controversial film earlier Wednesday morning, and good lord does it look incredible.
Peep it, but be careful if you’re at work (if you’re at an actual office) or if you’re using a work laptop (if you’re working from home) or if your parents are lurking behind the screen (in which you’re too young to be reading this anyway, so go check out the Rugrats post instead):
God bless any trailer crazy enough to make us blush during daylight hours. One thing is abundantly clear, though: Verhoeven is back in business, y’all. We absolutely cannot wait to check this one out.
Here’s a synopsis:
“In the late 15th century, with plague ravaging the land, Benedetta Carlini joins the convent in Pescia, Tuscany, as a novice. Capable from an early age of performing miracles, Benedetta’s impact on life in the community is immediate and momentous.“
Benedetta will have its world premiere at Cannes in July, though there’s no word about whether or not the film has acquired distribution just yet. So, depending on the word out of the Riviera, you might see this one this fall or winter, or it’ll get buried among the avalanche of imports that will soon take over indie multiplexes at some point in the spring. However, we will be there opening day.