Io c'è (2018)

Massimo Alberti, the owner of a bed and breakfast, is constantly looking for ways to avoid paying the numerous taxes levied on his business, until he discovers that buildings classified as places of worship are tax-exempt. He decides to shamelessly take advantage of this and found a new religion, Ionism. With the help of his sister Adriana and the writer Marco Cilio, Massimo drafts Ionism’s charter and establishes its rules, sacred symbols, and rituals. The religion advocates independence, living for oneself, and following one’s personal drive; its sacred symbol is a mirror, which the faithful gaze into to observe themselves. Needing converts, Massimo attracts an initial group of homeless people from a nearby convent community of nuns, who, annoyed by his actions, try to bring them back. Incredibly, they follow his precepts, too, and one of them stops drinking alcohol. Also fascinated by Ionism are the official assigned to ensure that it is not a scam; a paraplegic who asks for the miracle of being able to walk again; and an older woman who still experiences sexual urges. Massimo tells them they must listen to the voice of their own being. Adriana also follows Ionism, leaving Giulio, her conceited husband, and becoming engaged to Andrea, the reggae musician she has been seeing for years. Ionism faces its first funeral, but Massimo tells no stories about an afterlife, instead presenting the faithful with a materialist view of death: the deceased is simply there, in the urn. There is no point in wondering about the afterlife, because we will never have an answer; we should enjoy life’s journey. Teresa, a young woman who captures Massimo’s heart, is also staying at the B&B. She has undergone an operation and was supposed to have a second, very risky one, but has decided not to go down that path, so she can enjoy life’s journey, as Massimo advised at the Ionist funeral. Meanwhile, Ionism is accepted as a religion by the State, and the B&B is classified as a place of worship. Marco has written the Ionist Gospel and is ready to launch it on the market. Massimo wants nothing more to do with it, and Marco threatens him with a schism. Massimo realizes he has gone too far: what began as a simple trick to avoid paying taxes has led him to deceive dozens of people, and Teresa is risking her life because she believes a lie. After a service, he vents his anger by smashing the mirror, driving everyone out, and wrecking the B&B’s belongings. Some time later, because Ionism has been recognized by the Italian state, a judge sentences Massimo for insulting and desecrating people, sacred objects, and a consecrated place of worship, as well as for religious terrorism. The car taking him to prison is stopped by a group of Ionist faithful, including Teresa. She tells Massimo that she has recovered and no longer needs the second operation, sanctifying him. While Massimo is in prison, Marco continues holding Ionist services, reading the Gospel and taking inspiration from a fresco depicting Massimo.