During the Inquisition period, Federico witnesses the harrowing trial of Benedetta, an alluring nun accused of seducing and driving his brother to suicide. Centuries later, in the same convent prison, a vampiric old man hides within the convent’s abandoned walls until facing eviction.

Winner of the FIPRESCI award, this haunting portmanteau from director Marco Bellocchio is a shrewd social commentary steeped in striking gothic imagery. Set in a convent-prison, the film shifts from past to present, crafting a story that is a love letter to Italy’s past and a critique of its stasis.