Benedetta18

Directed by Paul Verhoeven | France | 2021 | 2h 12m | French w/ English subtitles | Starring Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling, Daphne Patakia, Lambert Wilson

In late 17th century Italy, with plague ravaging the land, a young nun begins experiencing ecstatic visions and performing incredible miracles. However, the Mother Superior is not convinced and her doubts become even stronger when she suspects the presence of carnal sin within the convent. Provocative filmmaker Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Basic Instinct, Elle) continues his late career resurgence with this transgressive tale of power, punishment, and desire.

Reviews

‘This is a cinematic spectacle that’s sexy and grotesque in a way films just don’t seem to dare anymore…a delicious, visceral provocation, one that revels in the temptation to sin and sin again.’
★★★★
Hannah Strong, Little White Lies

‘A funny, filthy, iconoclastic riot. Paul Verhoeven’s latest erotic satire won’t be for all creeds, but it is bursting with enough ideas that even doubters can find something to believe in here.’
★★★★
John Nugent, Empire Magazine

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Benedetta between May 6, 2022 and May 13, 2022.

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What else is on?

Today (Monday 13th July)

18:00

What We Do in the Shadows 15
1h 25m
Cult mockumentary follows the undead navigating modern life with gloriously incompetent results. Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement at their most gloriously funny. Part of the Oxford Comedy Festival 2026.

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20:15

Blue Heron 15
1h 31m
Eight-year-old Sasha's family move to Vancouver Island seeking a fresh start, but her eldest brother increasingly dangerous behaviour casts a long shadow. Sophy Romvari's lyrical feature debut is a deeply felt study of family bonds and the elusive nature of memory.

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Tomorrow (Tuesday 14th July)

17:45

Effi o Blaenau 15
£6 for Members
1h 31m | Welsh w/ English subtitles
In a Welsh town stripped of its pubs and jobs, hard-partying Effi keeps her head just above water. But a chance encounter in a Llandudno nightclub offers a glimpse of another life. Leisa Gwenllian is searing in this spikily funny adaptation of Gary Owen's celebrated one-woman play.

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20:00

Disclosure Day 12A
£6 for Members
2h 25m
When a Kansas City meteorologist intercepts an inexplicable alien signal during a live broadcast, she begins to unravel a decades-long government cover-up. Steven Spielberg returns to sci-fi with a summer blockbuster of genuine scale and philosophical weight, led by Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!