The Spiral

A fierce thunderstorm sweeps across Rome when Anna, Alice’s estranged mother, suddenly appears on her doorstep—a dark confession in tow: her entire family history is based on a terrible lie. Some twenty years ago, after a blood-drenched tragedy, Anna made a deal with a mysterious stranger. The crisis could be averted, but the price was steep. Told in four chapters, this melodramatic, visually stunning psycho-thriller by Paolo Strippoli (The Holy Boy, SLASH 2025) blends Faustian horror with a withering indictment of class privilege. Hovering over the whole affair is Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as the infernal puppet master: deceitful, remorseless, and utterly terrifying. (Mattias Fabian)