FFFA: The Holy Boy

La Valle dei Sorrisi

Australian Premiere

“This creepy, bone-chilling, yet clever and incisive film disturbed the crap out of me but also left me with this oddly giddy feeling — probably because it is one of the best, most assuredly crafted, horror films I’ve seen in quite a while.” – The Contending

Paolo Strippoli’s follow-up to his acclaimed debut A Classic Horror Story (2021) arrives carrying serious festival fanfare: a Venice Midnight world premiere, a BFI London Film Festival berth, and a Shudder acquisition for North America. But The Holy Boy is no conventional genre exercise.

Behind its folk horror scaffolding, Strippoli excavates something rawer: a queer coming-of-age story wrapped in religious dread, interrogating how communities weaponise vulnerability and call it love.

Grief-stricken teacher Sergio (Michele Riondino) transfers to Remis, a remote Alpine village bafflingly known as Italy’s happiest town. The secret behind those relentless smiles soon reveals itself. Each week, the villagers queue to embrace Matteo (Giulio Feltri, extraordinary in his screen debut), a 15-year-old who the village has crowned its living saint, capable of absorbing strangers’ suffering with a single embrace.

Where others see a miracle, Sergio sees a dehumanised child, controlled by his father and the local clergy. His attempt to liberate Matteo fractures the village’s enforced serenity and awakens something far darker beneath it.

Festival Appearances & Awards
Venice International Film Festival 2025 – World Premiere
BFI London Film Festival 2025 — Official Selection
SLASH Film Festival Vienna 2025 — Official Selection

Rating

Unclassified 18+

Duration

122 min

Country

Italy, Slovenia

Language

Italian (English subtitles)

Cast

Michele Riondino, Giulio Feltri, Paolo Pierobon, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Roberto Citran

Director

Paolo Strippoli