COMING TO SHUDDER
If we could rid ourselves of all our pains, would we still be ourselves?
What if you could leave all your emotional pain behind with nothing more than a hug? THE HOLY BOY explores that unsettling question in a supernatural story where a seemingly peaceful mountain village hides a disturbing secret.
A MIRACLE WITH A DARK SIDE
When physical education teacher Sergio Rossetti moves to an isolated mountain village, he finds a community that appears to have discovered the secret to a peaceful life. The locals seem unusually calm and content, but Sergio soon discovers that something far stranger is happening beneath the surface.
Once a week, the villagers take part in a ritual centred on a lonely boy who possesses an extraordinary ability: through a simple embrace, he can free people from their emotional pain.
At first, the boy’s gift might seem like a miracle. But as Sergio learns more about the ritual and the people who depend on it, he begins to question what is really happening. Determined to rescue the boy from the village’s disturbing practices, Sergio sets out to intervene. His efforts, however, bring out a darker side of himself, threatening to turn his mission into something far more dangerous.
The Holy Boy
- Director: Paolo Strippoli
- Starring: Michele Riondino, Giulio Feltri, Paolo Pierobon, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Roberto Citran, Sergio Romano, Anna Bellato, Sandra Toffolatti
- Genre: Thriller, Drama, Fantasy
- Runtime: 122 mins
- User Rating: ★ 6.7
Directed by Paolo Strippoli, who co-wrote the screenplay with Milo Tissone and Jacopo del Giudice, the film blends psychological tension, fantasy and drama while examining the relationship between suffering, identity and the desire to escape emotional pain.
CAST
The film stars Michele Riondino as Sergio Rossetti, Giulio Feltri as Matteo Corbin, Paolo Pierobon as Mauro Corbin, Romana Maggiora Vergano as Michela, Roberto Citran as Don Attilio and Sergio Romano as Pichler.
FILM DETAILS
- Genre: Thriller / Drama / Fantasy
- Runtime: 2 hours, 2 minutes
- Director: Paolo Strippoli
- Writers: Paolo Strippoli, Milo Tissone and Jacopo del Giudice
- Platform: Shudder
With its unsettling premise and questions about whether suffering is part of what makes us who we are, THE HOLY BOY offers a chilling look at a community willing to surrender its pain—and the price one boy may be forced to pay for that relief.
