Felicitas is a fictional character created by Pedro Almodóvar for his film "Volver". She lives a double life, pretending to be a pious woman while secretly enjoying intense sexual encounters with men who meet her online. Her dilemma lies in trying to balance these two seemingly opposite aspects of herself, without compromising either one.
In the film, Felicitas visits confession and attends mass regularly, but she also spends much time looking for sex partners through an app. The conflict between her desire for pleasure and her need for spiritual guidance manifests itself in her personal and relational ethics. When she meets a man who seems like a good match, she feels guilty about cheating on her husband, even though they have been separated for years.
When she sees him again after they have slept together, she tries to justify her actions by saying that it was just a momentary impulse, and that she will never do it again. This shows how she struggles to reconcile her desires with her religious beliefs.
She becomes emotionally unstable, feeling torn between what she wants and what she believes to be right. In one scene, she breaks down crying while discussing this inner struggle with her mother.
The tension between pleasure and religion is not unique to Felicitas - many people around the world face similar challenges every day. For some, the pursuit of pleasure may clash with their religious beliefs, causing them to feel conflicted or even ashamed. Others find ways to reconcile the two, allowing themselves to enjoy both aspects of life without guilt or regret.
Some may seek out spiritual practices that focus on sexuality, such as Tantra or sacred sexuality. Others may choose to separate their religious and erotic lives completely, engaging in each only at designated times.
Felicitas' story serves as a reminder that our desires and values are complex and often contradictory. We must learn to accept ourselves and others as we are, without judgment or shame.
How does Felicitas reconcile the pursuit of sexual pleasure with religious adherence, and how does this tension manifest in personal and relational ethics?
In her book "Sexual Ethics and Islam", Felicitas Dallot takes on the challenge of examining the interplay between sexuality and religion by analyzing Muslim sources from the Quran, Hadith, Sunnah, and Fiqh (theology).