Film
They Call Me Jeeg
A Roman small-time criminal gains super-strength from radioactive waste and becomes an unlikely hero through a troubled young woman's unwavering belief in him. It's scrappy, tender, and visually inventive—a superhero origin story that arrives from nowhere and knows exactly what it's doing. For anyone craving something fresh and unexpectedly moving.
If you liked this
Kick-Ass2010
Ordinary people grapple with the messy reality of superpowers and vigilantism. Sharp, darkly funny, unafraid to show genuine consequences alongside genuine heroism.
But Its violence is specific and brutal. It veers between tones—comedy, tragedy, action—which doesn't always land seamlessly.

Amélie2001
A quirky outsider changes the lives of those around them through small acts of connection and faith. Same heart, different register—utterly charming and visually gorgeous.
But It's whimsical to the point of twee for some. The pacing is deliberately unhurried; modern attention spans may chafe.

Super2010
A grief-stricken, ordinary man becomes a vigilante superhero driven by damaged logic. Raw, strange, genuinely earned in its emotional stakes. Rainn Wilson transforms completely.
But It's genuinely unsettling and doesn't soften its sadness. The humor is dark enough to turn some viewers away.

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The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Raw2017
Both are 2016 Italian films that use genre premises—superhero, horror—to explore human vulnerability and transformation. Both arrive with no fanfare and achieve something that blockbusters miss.
A teenager's dark appetite awakens during her first year at veterinary school. A French filmmaker working in horror and body horror explores appetite, identity, and violence with gorgeous precision. Raw, hypnotic cinema that isn't trying to please you.
But It's genuinely transgressive and contains graphic content. The pacing is arthouse slow; if you need plot momentum, you'll be frustrated.

More like this (8)
The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?2015
A documentary about a doomed Superman film that never was. Explores how belief, vision, and impossible odds shape art. Unexpectedly moving about creating something that matters.
But It's meta—for people who care about filmmaking and superhero lore. Casual viewers might find it too inside-baseball.

Unbreakable2000
An ordinary man discovers he has superhuman durability and is slowly drawn into his role as a hero. Meditative, genuine, architecturally brilliant. Shyamalan at his best.
But It's deliberately slow and contemplative. If you're hungry for action, you'll be waiting a while between sequences.

The Losers2010
A tight ensemble of underdogs with real chemistry pull off impossible heists. Slick, fun, with characters you actually root for. Never takes itself too seriously.
But It's purely entertainment—no depth, no stakes that linger. If plot holes bother you, don't look too closely.

Defendor2009
An unwell man becomes a self-made vigilante and finds purpose and family in the unlikeliest way. Woody Harrelson is heartbreaking. Balances comedy with genuine tenderness.
But It's uneven in tone and some viewers find the central character too difficult to root for. Budget limitations show occasionally.

Mystery Men1999
Hapless, regular people become superheroes with useless powers. Visually inventive, genuinely funny, with heart underneath the absurdity. A cult favorite for good reason.
But It's deeply silly and very '90s. Audiences wanting serious superhero fare will bounce off it immediately.

Dracula Untold2014
A tragic villain origin story that reframes monstrosity as sacrifice. Strong visual language, committed performance, and real emotional weight beneath the monster movie.
But It revises history for drama, which irritates some. The ending is predictable and the action occasionally blurs into visual noise.

The Raid 22014
Both films use the language of action cinema to explore men trapped by circumstance and violence. Both find poetry in physical transformation and the cost of becoming something more than human.
An undercover cop infiltrates a crime syndicate while his identity fractures. Indonesian martial arts cinema at its peak—visually inventive fight choreography that's closer to dance than brutality. Style and substance fused.
But Subtitled and very action-heavy. If you're watching for plot, you'll miss what the film is actually doing. It's 150 minutes of sustained intensity.

Stalker1979
Both films use a hero's journey through an impossible world to ask what it means to become powerful, and whether power is what we actually need. Both suggest transformation requires losing yourself to find something true.
A guide escorts two men through a mysterious Zone toward a room that grants wishes. Andrei Tarkovsky's metaphysical masterpiece moves like a dream, asking what we'd do if we could have anything. Profoundly moving about desire, meaning, and the self.
But It's 163 minutes of philosophical science fiction with minimal plot. If you need action or conventional narrative, stop immediately. It requires patience and surrender.

People
Cast
Claudio SantamariaEnzo Ceccotti
Luca MarinelliZingaro
Ilenia PastorelliAlessia
Stefano AmbrogiSergio
Maurizio TeseiBiondo
Daniele TrombettiTazzina
Francesco FormichettiSperma
Joel SyClaudietto
Salvatore EspositoVincenzo
Gianluca Di GennaroAntonio
Antonia TruppoNunzia
Juana JimenezMarcellone
Directing
- Gabriele MainettiDirector
- Simone SpadaFirst Assistant Director
Writing
- MenottiScreenplay
- Nicola GuaglianoneScreenplay
- Nicola GuaglianoneStory
Production
- Francesco VedovatiCasting
- Jacopo SaraceniExecutive Producer
- Giuseppe GigliettiLine Producer
- Gabriele MainettiProducer