Controversial ‘Benedetta’ draws protesters
The “church of cinema” had a run-in with the Church of Rome on Saturday, as about 20 protesters from a Catholic organization marched in front of 14 Pews, the Houston arthouse theater in a former house of worship. And theater owner Cressandra Thibodeaux can’t wait to see them again.
The film that drew the protesters’ ire is Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta,” a drama about a 17th-century Italian nun who was renowned as a mystic before being arrested for lesbianism. There is apparently a scene where a statue of the Virgin Mary is used as a sex toy. 14 Pews is one of a handful of theaters around Houston — including the AMC Houston 8 and AMC Gulf Pointe 30, where it’s still playing — that have shown the limited-release movie. “Benedetta” begins streaming Dec. 21 on various platforms.
Protests against the movie were nationally organized by America Needs Fatima, part of the conservative Catholic organization known as the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property. The group is known for opposing same-sex marriage, abortion and socialism. The protests were extremely well-organized, as evident by the fact that the signs and banners seen at 14 Pews were the exact same, professional designs also used at protests at the historic Texas Theater in Dallas.
“I am really tired of these sick, depraved people, who have to denigrate anything that is contrary to their immoral lives,” says Richard Potson, a supporter of the campaign on the group’s petition site.
Religious-inspired protests at films are nothing new in Houston. Both Jean-Luc Godard’s “Hail Mary” in 1985 and Kevin Smith’s “Dogma” in 1999 drew organized resistance. Some patrons in line at the River Oaks Theatre for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” even had promises of hell and beer bottles thrown at them.
Thibodeaux felt that the protesters only made the night better.
“The distributor warned us that there would be these protesters. At 14 Pews, either you want something going on inside the theater or outside,” she says. “This time it was both. I thought it was fascinating, this group. Their signs were beautiful.”
Though Thibodeaux didn’t approach the protesters, her mother, Marilyn (who still works at 14 Pews into her 80s despite several health scares this year), gleefully interacted with them, according to her daughter. At one point, the protesters began singing hymns, only for Marilyn to respond with a hearty rendition of “Ave Maria.”
All in all, Thibodeaux considered the entire night a success and has decided to book another screening on Christmas Day. This time, she wants to include music and tequila shots for the crowd outside, who only remained on-site for about 15 minutes once the movie started. Originally, she wanted to screen the film again on Christmas Eve but decided against it because she didn’t want her family to miss Mass.
“It was a great kind of community engagement,” she said. “The weather was so nice. I heard that two of the protesters actually hooked up while they were there. I’m bringing the movie back to embrace community connection. After my mom talked to them, everyone in the theater gave her a round of applause. It really made her night!”