Four holy men, one mysterious stranger, and a secret that'll make you choke on your communion wine.
In a small convent immersed in the tranquility of the Tuscan countryside, four friars spend their days: Raniero, the gruff but friendly guardian, Gervasio, jovial but hypochondriac, the naive Bettino, and Vittorio, an elderly friar who tends the garden. Their daily routine is disrupted by the arrival of Antonio, who quickly wins the trust of the three friars, but not that of Raniero, who views him with great suspicion. The two engage in acts of espionage in an attempt to discover something about each other's past. While rummaging through Antonio's cell, Raniero makes a shocking discovery about an unspeakable secret...
Acting
Lino Banfi's magnificent grumpy eyebrow acting.
Production
That convent makes you want to take holy orders immediately.
Director
Luca Manfredi
Lino Banfi
Frate Raniero
Pietro Sermonti
Antonio
Nicole Grimaudo
Giorgia
Nino Manfredi
Padre Roberto
Felice Andreasi
Frate Vittorio
Frank Crudele
Frate Bettino
Marco Messeri
Mario Zonca
Mauro Pirovano
frate Gerasio
Sergio Forconi
Ovidio
Isabella Cecchi
Marta
Massimo Reale
Nicolò
Sergio Pierattini
Don Piero
Alessandra Costanzo
la mamma di Giorgia
Fiorenzo Fiorentini
Giacomo
Valeria Ciangottini
Eleonora
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Nino Manfredi's final screen appearance before his death in 2004; his Padre Roberto barely appears but carries the film's moral weight.
The film gently subverts Italy's sacred 'commedia all'italiana' tradition — what starts as broad monk humor darkens into a meditation on post-war accountability rarely addressed in Italian television.
IT
