Flavia the Heretic is hailed by some as one of the best nunsploitation - a dubious sub genre at best - efforts out there.
Sadly, the story and characters it unfolds come from nowhere, and go nowhere. Even if we realize that the movie is based in dark medieval-era Spain, there is no real sense of community, no hint of a real society or whatsoever. No one seems to really like to be alive, or simply to exist within the frame of civilization.
Nearly every character is mad, violent, misogynistic or just plain dumb. The people in charge are few and most of the time act rashly for no apparent reason, or just don't seem to know what to do. Senseless aggression and torture abound, mostly from male towards female, but also from female on female.
The madness the Tarantula cult unleashes on the nuns convent during the beginning of the movie is unbelievable, as is the rage and hatred the main character and the senior nun harbour towards men.
I understand being oppressed by a group, class or gender can lead to madness and revenge, but what Flavia the Heretic does is beyond my understanding : how can you betray and condemn to death thousands of your fellow citizens just to have revenge on few? By siding with the invaders, Flavia facilitates the genocide committed on her people, and seems to be very happy with it. Yet, she also despises the invader's attitude towards women, which leads her to be abandoned by the conquerors and captured by vengeful religious fanatics.
She dies horribly. That's what you get for living a life filled with hatred.
Flavia the Heretic is a beautifully lighted movie, but fails mostly because of a script filled with extremely negative characters. I seriously doubt people hated their lives as much as they seem to do in this movie, even during Dark Medieval Times...
Sadly, the story and characters it unfolds come from nowhere, and go nowhere. Even if we realize that the movie is based in dark medieval-era Spain, there is no real sense of community, no hint of a real society or whatsoever. No one seems to really like to be alive, or simply to exist within the frame of civilization.
Nearly every character is mad, violent, misogynistic or just plain dumb. The people in charge are few and most of the time act rashly for no apparent reason, or just don't seem to know what to do. Senseless aggression and torture abound, mostly from male towards female, but also from female on female.
The madness the Tarantula cult unleashes on the nuns convent during the beginning of the movie is unbelievable, as is the rage and hatred the main character and the senior nun harbour towards men.
I understand being oppressed by a group, class or gender can lead to madness and revenge, but what Flavia the Heretic does is beyond my understanding : how can you betray and condemn to death thousands of your fellow citizens just to have revenge on few? By siding with the invaders, Flavia facilitates the genocide committed on her people, and seems to be very happy with it. Yet, she also despises the invader's attitude towards women, which leads her to be abandoned by the conquerors and captured by vengeful religious fanatics.
She dies horribly. That's what you get for living a life filled with hatred.
Flavia the Heretic is a beautifully lighted movie, but fails mostly because of a script filled with extremely negative characters. I seriously doubt people hated their lives as much as they seem to do in this movie, even during Dark Medieval Times...