Official synopsis
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a man loses his mother due to negligence and the failure to respect health restrictions. Devastated by grief, he turns his mourning into a ruthless plan for revenge: to punish anyone who refuses to follow the rules. However, two figures begin to track him down: a podcaster who reconstructs the events in real time, and a determined police officer intent on stopping him. The investigation soon turns into a labyrinth of obsessions, where the line between justice and madness becomes increasingly thin.
Review
Italian writer/director Byron Rink pays homage to the grand tradition of classic shock cinema from his home country while addressing modern controversies with Cinghia (2025), AKA Belt. The feature is a microbudget effort but what it might lack in budget, it makes up for with a solid plot and direction, and engaging performances, including a welcome appearance from Italian horror movie legend Silvia Collatina of The House by the Cemetery fame as a law enforcement officer.
Cinghia is set in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emanuela Greco stars as Valeria Adami, a true-crime podcaster who becomes fixated on identifying someone she believes is a serial killer targeting people who break quarantine and mask-wearing rules. Simona Fossa plays Valeria’s sister Selina, who works in law enforcement and who reluctantly assists her sister with sensitive information about the case. Viewers know early on that Valeria is on the right track, as indeed a masked killer (Zack Daniels)is on a mission of vengeance and uses a leather belt as his weapon.
Cinematographer Daniele Zaccardo provides intriguing camera work, from showcasing empty areas caused by pandemic enforcement to getting up close and tight on murder set pieces. Composer Kai Asuno Glambyr’s score fits the proceedings impressively.
Cinghia works as a throwback film that honors Italian shockers, giallo, mysteries, and thrillers of the past; as a take on slasher fright fare; and as a pandemic-era social commentary horror film. That’s a lot to tackle in one movie with a small budget, but Rink and his sizable cast and crew do an admirable job of pulling it off.
Cinghia was a cowinner of the Best Foreign Language Film Award at Romford Horror Festival, which took place February 19–22 in Romford, U.K.
