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Nuns Gone Disgusting.
Review: The second nunsploitation film I've watched, Flavia, la monaca
musulmana aka Flavia the Heretic stars Florinda Bolkan as
Flavia, a rebellious woman that is forced into a nunnery by her
controlling father. Not able to cope with her new environment and
appalled by the treatment of the nuns, she runs away from the
convent.
From there Flavia goes on a journey of self-discovery. She
spends time with a Jewish friend and then takes up with the
commander of an invading Muslim army. The army attacks the town and
convent where we're treated to images of pillaging, killing, rape
and perhaps the most bizarre scene I've ever witnessed (details
below).
Flavia is about feminism and the empowerment of women.
And from what I've read, it is a more solemn and dramatic example of
the nunsploitation genre. The subjects of rape and torture are dealt
with more seriously and presented in a much more unpleasant manner.
Unlike Images in a Convent, nudity and sex are not used in
the typical softcore pornographic manner, so don't expect to get
aroused watching this film.
If the rape and no-where-close-to-being-erotic love scenes don't
do it for you (and they won't), perhaps you'd enjoy seeing a horse being
castrated, a nun having boiling tar poured on her or an old nun
lifting her habit and urinating outdoors. If just the mention of
these sights intrigue you, be prepared for more as Flavia has
some unique and graphic visuals.
Now about that bizarre scene. Near the end of the film and during
a massive orgy at the convent, the freshly hollowed-out carcass of a dead
cow is seen hanging from the ceiling by its hind legs. All of a
sudden a nude nun runs up and climbs into the bloody carcass.
There are very few cinematic scenes that have caused my jaw to
drop, but this was one of them. The scene comes out of
nowhere and is a complete shock to the system. I'm still not sure
what it meant or symbolized, but it was absolutely disturbing and
very memorable. Please drop me a line if you have any insight.
I have mixed feelings about Flavia. It has its interesting
moments,
but it's not a great film overall. I'll sum it up by saying that if
you're at all interested in exploring nunsploitation films or cult
films in general, then you
should put it high on your list.
Learn more: IMDb
DVD version viewed: Flavia the Heretic (Uncensored International Version) (Synapse Films,
UPC 654930302491)
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