De Man uit Rome

In a time when fake news and lies undermine the social fabric of our societies, the Vatican sends out the sceptical priest, Filippo, to investigate an alleged miracle. A video of a weeping statue of Mary has gone viral, which is why Filippo – known for debunking many ostensive miracles around the world – has now come to the Dutch border community. Four years earlier, a boy had shot 11 of his classmates there. The family that owns the weeping statue also lost a child, and their 19-year-old daughter, Térèse, has stopped speaking ever since. She sees Filippo’s arrival as a sign from above.

Térèse and her manipulative mother prove to be worthy adversaries for Filippo. Accustomed to interrogating people and conducting forensic investigations, he fails with his technocratic approach in the face of the villagers’ deep sorrow. Also, he seems to be drawn to mysterious Térèse.

In search of a solution to the mysterious case, he gets drawn into the village’s collective grief and a series of seemingly miraculous events that make him doubt his calling as a priest and a human being.