De man uit Rome

Filippo—a mixture of detective, scientist, and priest—is commissioned by the Vatican to investigate a miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary in a small Dutch town. There, he encounters a grieving community and a mysterious, mute young woman. Little by little, these encounters challenge Filippo's worldview. At a time when fake news and lies are undermining the social fabric of our societies, the skeptical priest Filippo is sent by the Vatican to investigate an alleged miracle. The video of a weeping statue of the Virgin Mary went viral, and Filippo – known for exposing many alleged miracles around the world – has therefore come to the Dutch border town. Four years earlier, a boy had shot and killed eleven of his classmates there. The family who owns the weeping statue has also lost a child, and their 19-year-old daughter Térèse stopped speaking after the shooting. She sees Filippo's arrival as a sign from above. THE MAN FROM ROME is a sensitive drama about the search for truth in a time of uncertainty. Director Jaap van Heusden tells the story of a man who puts his faith to the test with quiet intensity and visual clarity. Instead of dogma, the film focuses on human closeness and shows how difficult it is to mediate between duty and compassion. Rogier Schippers takes on the lead role, supported by an impressive cast that brings the inner conflict between spirituality and doubt to life. The film was shown at the 2024 International Film Festival in Hof, where it was very well received.