Benedetta (2021)

Tuscany, Italy, 17th century. As the sinister threat of the Plague looms over Europe, sincerely devout 8-year-old novice Benedetta Carlini is brought into the Theatine Convent of the Mother of God in Pescia as a bride for Jesus Christ. Eighteen years later, as ominous whispers of disputable miracles scandalise the cloistered sisters, a test of faith awaits the deeply pious Benedetta. This unexpected trial comes in the shape of bruised, abused, and earthly Bartolomea. Now, sin is at the gate. And under the vigilant eye of cynical Abbess Felicita, fleeting glimpses of the forbidden fruit invite tentative intimacy, ungovernable desires, and intense diabolical obsessions in. But few can wrestle with guilt and emerge unscathed. Is there an escape from sin when weak flesh is the enemy?—Nick Riganas