– Paolo Strippoli tells the story of a mountain village which survives thanks to the healing power of a disturbing teenager known as “the angel of Remis”
Michele Riondino in La valle dei sorrisi
Already well-known in the fantasy-film arena thanks to his previous work A Classic Horror Story – which he co-directed with Roberto De Feo – and his debut feature Flowing, Italian director Paolo Strippoli is confirming his talent for probing the dark side of human nature with The Holy Boy. Having world-premiered Out of Competition in Venice and screened within the International Competition of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF), The Holy Boy unsettles the audience from its opening images, which catapult viewers into the heart of a mountain village called Remis, where a small yet tightly knit community lives simply and in seeming harmony. But their small world is soon shaken by Sergio Rossetti (played by Michele Riondino), the new substitute PE teacher whose cynicism clashes with the virtually Franciscan values of Remis’ citizens.
Although the sub is welcomed with the joy and positivity typical of Remis’ inhabitants, his brusque, peremptory manner immediately puts everyone’s patience to the test. The first to suffer the anger of Sergio Rossetti, which, as we sense, stems from a traumatic event, is the manager of the village inn, Michela (played by Romana Maggiora Vergano, who shines in both dramatic and horror registers). After being assaulted by Sergio, who later decides to help her, she’s the one who ultimately takes him to the angel of Remis, a teenager with messianic gifts capable of freeing anyone he embraces from pain and sadness. Matteo Corbin (Giulio Feltri) is his name, and he’s quite literally the centre around which a community scarred by an unspeakable tragedy closes in, and suffocatingly so.
Sergio, Matteo and Michela are the protagonists of a story that feels both sacred and profane, where deeply human ambitions intertwine with powerful supernatural forces. Because, ultimately, all the people of Remis want – and this at any cost – is to stop suffering, and the only person who seems able to work this miracle is Matteo Corbin, at once a bullied teenager and a celestial angel. It’s impossible not to read in this deep yearning for serenity a critique of the now-generalised need for “resilience” in our society, a concept so widespread it has almost lost its original meaning, turning into a goal everyone is supposedly able to attain. Like addicts constantly chasing their next fix, the citizens of Remis cling to Matteo, heedless of the burden this young boy must carry on his shoulders. Without quite realising it, their quest for permanent emotional equilibrium drives them to destroy the very source of their salvation.
Skilfully playing with the horror register, which Paolo Strippoli manipulates to perfection, The Holy Boy speaks to our deep desire to achieve a peace of mind that’s nothing but a chimera. Unable to face up to their pain, Remis’ inhabitants anaesthetise themselves with illusions, feeding a beast (which takes the form of a confused, easily manipulated teenager) which is ready to strike at any time.
The Holy Boy was produced by Fandango, Nightswim and SPOK Films. Fandango are handling international sales.
(Translated from Italian)
