PRODUCTION

NIGHTSWIM, SPOK FILMS, VISION DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

VISION DISTRIBUTION

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INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

FANDANGO

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PRODUCED BY 

Laura Paolucci, Ines Vasiljević, Stefano Sardo, Domenico Procacci, Jozko Rutar, Miha Cernec

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GENRE 

Drama/Horror
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RUNNING TIME 

93 min

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COUNTRY

Italy, Slovenia

THE HOLY BOY

Paolo Stripoli

SYNOPSIS

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Remis is a small village hidden in an isolated valley among the mountains. Its inhabitants are all unusually happy. It seems like the perfect destination for Sergio Rossetti, a new physical education teacher haunted by a mysterious past.

Through his encounter with Michela, the young owner of the village inn, Sergio discovers that this apparent serenity conceals a disturbing ritual: one night a week, the villagers gather to embrace Matteo Corbin, a teenager capable of absorbing other people’s pain.

Sergio’s attempt to save the boy will awaken the darkest side of the person everyone calls the Angel of Remis.

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DIRECTOR'S NOTES

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The Holy Boy was born from the desire to explore horror not merely as a device for creating tension, but as a symbolic space in which to examine the fragility of identity and the desperate need to belong.

Within an apparently idyllic community, where pain is forbidden and serenity has become a religion, Matteo’s journey unfolds: a queer teenager, a sacrificial body and, at the same time, a redemptive presence.

The film is an exploration of coming of age as a profound transformation, but also of fatherhood as an ambiguous form of protection, control and projection. The paternal figures—biological, surrogate and spiritual—take turns attempting to fill a void.

Far removed from the archetypes of the traditional coming-of-age story, this film portrays growing up as both the loss of innocence and an act of resistance. It is a film about love that heals, but at a high cost. About the essential role of pain in our lives. And about those who have the courage not to smile.