Here comes the Benedetta! Since its landing at the 74th Cannes Film Festival, the film has attracted an uproar, and there has been constant controversy and discussion off-screen, because some of the "large-scale" scenes in the film, some people claim that this is a "deviant" work, with uncomfortable ridicule and irony about religion, human nature, desire and power.
The more controversial it is, the more it is concerned. Many fans in the mainland have put the film on the altar, giving it a high score of 8.1, and nearly half of them have scored 4 stars.
Foreign audiences plagued by religion score controversy, Rotten Tomatoes freshness of 84%, IMDB comprehensive score of only 6.7, mtc gave 69 points, the overall evaluation is average, but the European audience praise is continuous, at that time Cannes field score also shows the judges' love for the film.
There is no doubt that Paul Verhoeven, who is in his 80s, is a master of genre films, suspense, thrillers, fantasies, and even science fiction films can be seamlessly integrated, blending into a dizzying charm, and the viewing of the film, the audience never has to worry.
From the suspenseful romantic drama "Instinct", to the sci-fi action film "Galactic Team", "Robocop", "Total Memories", to the later historical film "Black Book" and the heroic work "Her", Paul Verhoeven rarely disappoints.
It is worth mentioning that his works are often full of lust and violence, but it does not hide his excellent narrative skills and rhythm control. His creativity, his guts, and his willingness to experiment with all kinds of new things are reflected in his work.
This time, "Our Lady" is still a pleasant surprise. First of all, in the story, he rarely depicts the religious fanaticism and desire entanglement of medieval nuns. Reflect on religious deception and hidden power in the Middle Ages from a female perspective.
Although It retains Van Hoeven's usual "scale", because it involves monastic life and the nuns' imagination of Jesus, it has been questioned by many relevant people, believing that it is too deviant and an exploitation and blasphemy.
As we all know, Verhoeven is a pioneer of feminism, even in "Galaxy Team", he reshaped the image of women, eliminated the gender bias that often exists in Hollywood blockbusters, and revealed the meaning of equal rights.
In addition, his female image is not a thin "white lotus", but a struggle in lust and power, left and right, in a dilemma, in a dilemma, bursting out of a strong maternal force beyond men, the tenacity and strength of female characters are often impressive.
Inheriting a familiar style and a strong personal style, Madonna is almost another variation of The Van Hoeven genre.
How to integrate suspense, lust, and feminism into a film with religious issues, Paul Verhoeven has given the answer.
"The Virgin" is based on Judith Brown's investigative report, "Misdeeds: A Nun of the Italian Renaissance."
It tells the story of a nun, Bendetta, who is in a convent and claims to have met Jesus and that she is the incarnation of the Virgin Mary. And the holy marks kept appearing on her body, and she was plagued by severe pain. This has attracted the attention of the special envoys of regional bishops and archbishops.
Although the abbot and her daughter were skeptical, believing that Bendetta was pretending to act, most people feared and worshipped her behavior, and Benedetta became the abbot, holding the core power, and even ordered the local soldiers to seal the city, reject all outsiders, and avoid the spread of the Great Plague of Europe to the cities.
Whether it was "under the pretense of the oracles" or "the gods descending from the heavens", the medieval "god above all else", and the continuous spread of the great plague gave bendetta the opportunity to show himself.
Although she herself struggled with martyrdom and lust, years of religious discipline plunged her and Bartolomea into a frenzied emotional catharsis.
The power-wielded Bendetta indulges in lustful gratification without any scruples, claiming to serve God for a lifetime while satisfying her lusts, and religion is here nothing more than an excuse and a shortcut to power.
Including her final confrontation with the special envoys of the Holy See, the madness and brutality of believers and martyrs, completely exposed the secret channels of religious deception and power.
Seemingly deviant, in fact, "Our Lady" is still about human beings sinking in desire, and after the collapse of faith, the desire for power distorts human nature, resulting in the slippery slope of the entire civilization.
Modern people see all kinds of things, compared to the pedantic and cowardly nature of the people who laugh at each other, in fact, we who live in the present are still controlled by various "religions", such as consumerism, hierarchy, and gender politics that have lasted for many years.
These hidden systems of power can still find traces in The Virgin, peering into the origin of original sin and variations of the means of control.
In the Middle Ages, where the religious atmosphere was extremely strong, coupled with the fear of the Great Plague, the identity of the holy women could win women a universal following, and in similar events, these saints even influenced the decisions of the popes and kings, the greater their ability to deceive, the greater the challenge to the existing order, and they were often sent to the burning table to set an example.
The tragedy of Joan of Arc is the fate that women cannot escape when they are against the times.
When we want to define "women's film", we need to fundamentally answer "what is a woman" and "what is a film", which is precisely an unattainable task.
Female, never just women's, in every sense, "female" means new life and energy, "The Virgin" gives women the status of subject, giving human beings a window to the world.