The Holy Boy
“If we could rid ourselves of all our pains, would we still be ourselves?”
A PE teacher moves to a isolated mountain village where the people appear to live in unshakeable serenity, but soon stumbles across a disturbing ritual. Once a week, the locals are freed of their pain by a lonely boy born with the power to heal one's soul just by hugging them. Trying to rescue him from this madness, the man unleashes his dark side.
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Not streaming anywhere
Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.
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Cast
31 people
Michele Riondino
Sergio Rossetti
Known for
The Count of Monte Cristo
Leopardi
Giulio Feltri
Matteo Corbin
Also in
Seghe!
The Place of Eternal Summer
Paolo Pierobon
Mauro Corbin
Known for
Mussolini: Son of the Century
Where Am I Going?
Romana Maggiora Vergano
Michela
Known for
Those About to Die
There's Still Tomorrow
Roberto Citran
Don Attilio
Known for
The Last One for the Road
The Great Ambition
Sergio Romano
Pichler
Known for
The Last One for the Road
Romulus
Anna Bellato
Anna
Known for
What a Beautiful Day
The Guest
Sandra Toffolatti
Elisabetta Gengo
Known for
Yara
Gabriele Benedetti
Franco
Known for
The Invisible Boy
Diego Nardini
Lorenzo Berni
No other roles listed
Alex Radetic
Coso
No other roles listed
Tatiana Lepore
Signora Berni
Known for
Bread and Tulips
Come Undone
Paolo Strippoli Director · Jacopo del Giudice Writer Milo Tissone Writer
Worldwide gross $378K · Budget $4M · United States release September 21, 2025
Box office
Budget
$4,025,000
Worldwide gross
$377,925
Gross vs. budget
0.1×
Production
Nightswim
Production
Fandango
Production
Vision Distribution
Production
MiC
Production
Lazio Cinema International
Production
Fondo Audiovisivo FVG
Production
SPOK Films
Production
Sky
Production
Italy · Slovenia
Produced in
Languages
Original title
La valle dei sorrisi
Original language
Italian
Spoken on screen
Italian
Release dates
Italy · August 30, 2025
Premiere · Venice Film Festival
Italy · September 17, 2025
Theatrical
United States · September 21, 2025
Premiere · Fantastic Fest
United States
November 27, 2026 · Premiere · Shudder
Australia
March 24, 2026 · Premiere · Fantastic Film Festival Australia
April 25, 2026 · Premiere · Gold Coast Film Festival
August 1, 2026 · Premiere · New Farm Queer Film Festival
Austria
September 26, 2025 · Premiere · Slash Filmfestival
Belgium
April 8, 2026 · Theatrical · Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival
Czechia
July 3, 2026 · Premiere · Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
France
September 2, 2026 · Theatrical
Germany
January 17, 2026 · Premiere · Fantasy Filmfest White Nights
Greece
June 11, 2026 · Theatrical
Hong Kong SAR China
October 31, 2026 · Premiere · Italian Screens
New Zealand
August 1, 2026 · Premiere · New Zealand International Film Festival
Norway
March 4, 2026 · Premiere · Kosmorama Trondheim Film Festival
Russia
July 9, 2026 · Theatrical
South Korea
September 21, 2025 · Premiere · Busan International Film Festival
October 7, 2026 · Theatrical
Spain
March 20, 2026 · Theatrical
Taiwan
November 10, 2025 · Premiere · Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
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Some details come from TheTVDB.