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Paul Verhoeven (83) retains the same indecent and filthy look that he has exhibited for half a century, when he became known as a filmmaker with 'Turkish Delights' (1973). Scenes such as

Sharon Stone

crossing her legs

in 'Basic Instinct'

(1992), the American pole dances in 'Showgirls' (1997) or the pistol aiming in the crotch of 'Robocop' (1987) are already part of the iconography popular. But age has not dampened the disturbing interest of the Dutch director. This has been verified at the

San Sebastián Film Festival (which ends this Saturday) with his latest work, 'Benedetta'

.

The film, whose premiere took place at the last Cannes festival, is inspired by the book 'Immodest Acts: The life of a lesbian nun in Renaissance Italy (Studies in the history of sexuality)', by the American historian Judith C. Brown , who studied the real case of

Benedetta Carlini

, a nun who lived in Italy in the 17th century. From the archives of the ecclesiastical courts, it is known that Benedetta came from a well-off family, and that she entered the convent of the Mother of God,

in the Tuscan city of Pescia

. Like other mystics of the time, Benedetta began to experience a series of visions and apparitions. She was named abbess of the convent, as her popularity as a miracle worker grew.

Faced with his growing influence, the nuncio in the area made a series of visits to the convent, until one of the nuns, Sister Bartolomea, confessed that she

had a lesbian relationship with Benedetta and that both had indulged in immodest acts that included the 'frottage '

. According to the film, Benedetta was condemned and stripped of her rank as abbess, although she was allowed to remain in the convent and eat in the refrectory with her companions, yes, sitting on the ground and in silence. Thus he remained for more than three decades, until his death in 1661 at age 70.

Benedetta's story serves Verhoeven to return to his obsession with the body and its processes of flourishing and degradation. Belgian actress Virginie Efira embodies Benedetta and does so by putting all her anatomy, from the appearance of stigmata to lewd scenes with her lover. Verhoeven introduces an even more murky element in this relationship:

a wooden figurine of the Virgin that lesbian nuns carve into the shape of a phallus

, to be used as a dildo in their sexual games.

The appearance of this element has roused certain Catholic sectors, who have come to request the withdrawal of the film.

This is the case of the

CitizenGO

platform

(heir to HazteOír), which has collected 200,000 signatures

(its goal is half a million) of a petition to the French millionaire Jérôme Seydoux, co-owner of the Pathé production company, so that "it does not continue to distribute this highly offensive material ".

"Of course", denounces CitizenGO in the presentation of the campaign,

"an open and obscene blasphemy like this would never have been allowed with Islam or Muhammad.

It is tolerated and applauded because it is a Christian nun. When there is no talent, blasphemy is the only recourse ... "

The text of the petition to Seydoux reads as follows: "I want to express my concern about the open and obscene display of blasphemy. I also want to express my discomfort and my feelings offended by this film. They

not only gloat over the homosexuality of consecrated people, but they show them obtaining sexual pleasure with an image of the Virgin

... It has not only offended me, but also the community of 2,000 million Christians in the world. " And he ends up demanding an apology "with the Christian community that he has seriously damaged." In the absence of knowing if the scandal has an effect or not on the box office, the premiere of 'Benedetta' in Spain has been advanced to October 1.

Without wanting to detract from his sexual charge, Verhoeven has always wanted to make it clear that his main interest was to inquire about religion and the sacred.

What's more, the film comes after an unsuccessful attempt to adapt

the book that Verhoeven wrote about Jesus of Nazareth in 2007, which was to be titled 'Jesus, the man'.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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