The Holy Boy

A teacher moves to a secluded mountain village where life seems suspended in peace. The residents carry themselves with a calm that borders on uncanny, as if pain has been banished from their days. Soon he discovers a weekly ritual in which a solitary boy can heal others simply by hugging them, easing fear and guilt in a single embrace. Intrigued and unsettled, the newcomer pursues answers about this extraordinary gift and vows to shield the child from becoming a focal point of the town's quiet power. As his investigation deepens, old loyalties surface and the line between mercy and control grows sharper, threatening to pull him into the town's orbit.

Directed by Paolo Strippoli, The Holy Boy stems from an original screenplay by Jacopo del Giudice and Milo Tissone, with Michele Riondino as Sergio Rossetti and Giulio Feltri as Matteo Corbin.

Reception centers on the film s exploration of healing and coercion, asking whether mercy can justify control. Viewers are drawn to the claustrophobic setting and a restrained performance that builds unease without relying on obvious jump scares.