'The Hand of God' cast list: Filippo Scotti and others star in Italian drama from Paolo Sorrentino

Oscar-winning Italian auteur Paolo Sorrentino's autobiographical film The Hand of God is set to release on Netflix on December 15, 2021. Since its release in Italy, Sorrentino's most personal film to date has been deemed a masterpiece by various viewers and critics.

The Hand of God debuted in Venice and also screened at Telluride. The movie is up for three European Film Awards: European Film, European Director, and European Screenwriter. It is also Italy's submission for the International Academy Awards.

Produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Paolo Sorrentino, The Hand of God revolves around the latter's personal story of childhood years and self-discovery in Naples.

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'The Hand of God' trailer and synopsis

Paolo Sorrentino's The Hand of God tells the tale of Fabietto (Sorrentino's alter ego), a 17-year-old boy, who faces heartbreak and liberation in Naples. The trailer for the film was released in early November and began with a cacophonous and boisterous narrative set in 1980s. It centered around the rumors of footballing legend Diego Maradona signing to SSC Napoli and how that is a driving force for Fabietto.

Viewers were also introduced to Fabietto's colorful extended family, who filled the story with love, laughter, mischief and drama but suddenly they were gone. Fabietto was orphaned and he could have met the same fate as his parents if not for his devotion to Maradona. With this incident, The Hand of God's narrative makes a visceral and poignant shift and viewers begin to learn about Fabietto as a person rather than a passive observer.

Netflix's official synopsis for The Hand of God reads:

"In 1980s Naples, young Fabietto pursues his love for football as family tragedy strikes, shaping his uncertain but promising future as a filmmaker."

Here's a look at the cast of The Hand of God ahead of its Netflix release.

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Filippo Scotti as Fabietto Schisa

Filippo Scotti is the 21-year-old Italian actor who is making the heads turn with his performance as the 16-year-old Fabietto Schisa in The Hand of God. Born in northern Italy, in the town of Dongo, Scotti has been acting in theater since he was 10 years old. He was cast in Netflix's witchcraft drama Luna Nera in 2019 and is also known for La gita (2018) and Il re muore (2020).

According to Vanity Fair, Filippo Scotti auditioned five times before bagging the role in The Hand of God. Sorrentino, who Scotti had to portray, said:

"In Filippo I found that shyness and that sense of inadequacy towards the world that characterized me when I was a teenager. I found in him not so much a physical resemblance but a similar state of mind."

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Teresa Saponangelo as Maria Schisa

Teresa Saponangelo is an Italian television, film, and stage actress. She made her official stage debut in Giacomo Rizzo's Ce penza mammà. In 1994, she made her film debut in Il Verificatore and went on to work in films directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Sergio Rubini, Paolo Virzì, and others. In The Hand of God, she plays the role of Fabietto's mother Maria Schisa.

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Marlon Joubert as Marchino Schisa

Marchino Schisa, the protagonist's brother, is played by Italian actor Marlon Joubert in The Hand of God. He is also known for Eau à la bouche and Cattività.

Other cast members include Toni Servillo, Luisa Ranieri, Renato Carpentieri, Massimiliano Gallo, Betti Pedrazzi, Biagio Manna, Ciro Capano, Enzo Decaro, Lino Musella, and Sofya Gershevich.

The Hand of God will be released on December 15 on Netflix.