Film review: It’s horrifying enough to imagine losing your child; having them stolen from you, and knowing exactly who has them and where they are held. To be up against the most powerful force in society with no hope of recourse is unimaginable.
Usually the stuff of cult horror movies, in the case of Italian drama Kidnapped it’s an incredible true story based on historical fact and unassailable papal law.
In 1858, Jewish-Italian Edgardo Mortara, was uplifted from his home in Bologna by the omnipotent Catholic church, and taken to Rome to be christened and raised, along with other seized Jewish boys, by Pope Pius IX himself. This shocking scenario was justified by the church because of an allegation that baby Edgardo had, at six months, been baptised Christian behind the backs of his devoutly Jewish parents.
When head of the Holy Inquisition, Pier Feletti, turns up in the city’s Jewish Quarter to claim the child to save his soul, his distraught parents rally their community in protest. But nothing can halt Edgardo’s journey to the Vatican, where the wide-eyed little boy (beautifully played by tiny Enea Sala) is indoctrinated.
Quite aside from the tale’s inherent horror and injustice, Kidnapped is a fascinating history lesson of a time when church and state were at loggerheads and the threat to the papacy caused the pope to panic.
It’s a classic story of power and control, and with strong performances – particularly by Edgardo’s distraught father and furious mother (Fausto Russo Alesi and Barbara Ronchi) – it’s impossible not to feel outraged.
Eighty-four-year-old director Marco Bellocchio has forged a long career in film-making and political activism, frequently railing against the perceived sins of the Catholic church. Here, he loosely adapts Daniele Scalise’s book Il caso Mortara, backing up the allegations with specific dates splayed across the screen as the Mortara family work tirelessly over many years to reclaim their child.
The legal scenes are interesting, and in following young Edgardo’s education, one learns a lot about the dogma of church practice. But inevitably, it’s the scenes of domestic devastation that are most compelling, and the outcome will leave many viewers with a heavy heart.
Rating out of 5: ★★★★
Kidnapped, directed by Marco Bellocchio, is in cinemas now as part of the Italian Film Festival.
