Kidnapped (12A)

★★★★✭ Marco Bellocchio’s engaging melodramatic adaptation of David Kertzer’s The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara lays bare the abuse of power (and children) in the Catholic church. ~ ManchesterTheatres.com.

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Based on incredible true events, the gripping new historical drama from master auteur Marco Bellocchio ('The Traitor', 'Good Morning Night', 'Vincere') follows the story of a young boy whose abduction from his parents by the Vatican fuelled outrage in 19th-century Italy, and triggered a global scandal.

1858, the Jewish quarter of Bologna. The Pope’s soldiers burst into the home of the bourgeoisie Mortara family: by order of the cardinal (Filippo Timi), they have come to take six-year-old Edgardo (Enea Sala) to Rome.

Unbeknownst to his parents Momolo (Fausto Russo Alesi) and Marianna (Barbara Ronchi), Edgardo had been secretly baptised by his nurse as a baby and the papal law is unquestionable: he must receive a Catholic education, thus, his parents must either convert or lose him forever.

The Motara’s struggles to have their son returned soon takes a political dimension, driven by the support of public opinion and the international Jewish community, but the Church and ultimately Pope Pius IX (Paolo Pierobon) himself stand resolute in the face of criticism, aiming to consolidate their increasingly wavering power...

Renowned for engaging with the social and political contradictions of Italian identity, Bellochio’s powerful and operatic new film probes historical antisemitism and the arbitrary exercises of influence by the pre-unification Church.

After its lauded Cannes debut, Kidnapped has reignited debate in Italy, where the actions of Pius IX – who was beatified in the year 2000 - have never been officially condemned.

Languages:
Hebrew, Italian and Latin

Subtitles:
English

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★★★★★ Marco Bellocchio’s antisemitism drama is a classic in the making. Based on the true story of a young Jewish boy kidnapped by papal authorities, this is a full-tilt melodrama that lays bare tyranny, bigotry and the abuse of power in the Catholic church. ~ The Guardian.