THE POPE’S EXORCIST

It’s 1987 Anno Domini and the Vatican is in the midst of a crisis. On the one hand, young bling-bling prelates – more Madonna than Francis of Assisi – are trying to dust off the crumbling image of the Church by downgrading positions such as the one of Father Gabriele Amorth, the official exorcist of the Vatican. Not glamorous enough, they say… On the other hand, there’s the Pope, aware in his infinite wisdom that Good cannot exist without Evil. He decides to send his toga-clad badass to Spain, to study the strange case of a child who is supposedly suffering from an evil a little more hardcore than a simple flu. Once arrived, Father Amorth discovers an old abbey ready to be converted into a hotel and a particularly rude kid. Nothing Amorth hasn’t seen before though. Three Latin insults and an upside-down crucifix don’t impress him. But he’s quickly going to understand that his opponent is far from being a second-rate demon. Especially when he discovers a pretty unorthodox secret that the Vatican has been trying to sweep under the carpet since the Inquisition. So, not glamorous enough, they said? The perfect example of an ideal BIFFF screening? A script inspired by the works of infamous Father Gabriele Amorth – more than 50.000 exorcisms to his name and the subject of a 2017 documentary directed by William Friedkin -, Julius Avery (OVERLORD) in the director’s chair, Franco Nero (DJANGO UNCHAINED) as the Pope, and Russell Crowe, absolutely phenomenal in the lead role! An old skool thrill ride with a dose of THE DA VINCI CODE, a true blessing for all BIFFF disciples.