Starring: Michele Riondino, Giulio Feltri, Paolo Pierobon, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Sergio Romano, Anna Bellato, Sandra Toffolatti, Gabriele Benedetti, Diego Nardini, Roberto Citran

Mourning his young son’s death, schoolteacher Sergio moves to a small, quiet Italian village to start a new substitute teaching job. Before long, he notices something odd about this town: Its residents have a weekly ritual where they gather around a shy 15-year-old boy named Matteo and pray, thinking he’s a heavenly angel. From that peculiar setup, Brooklyn Horror alum Paolo Strippoli (FLOWING, BHFF 2022) delivers a powerful and wholly unnerving look at how religious fervor and a desperate need to belong can breed dangerous toxicity and, in this case, shocking horror that will get under your skin. —Matt Barone