Kidnapped (2024)

The true story of Edgardo Mortara, a Jewish boy who was taken away from his family by the Catholic Church in 1850's Bologna is elegantly and thoughtfully approached by director Marco Bellocchio- a story that relies heavily on the increasingly unhinged actions of Pope Pius IX (an excellent performance by Paulo Pierobon).

In 1858 it is at the request of the Pope that six-year old Edgardo is removed from his family following the sudden allegation that he was secretly baptised as a Christian by a former maid. Under Catholic law Edgardo is now a Christian for life (or eternity if you prefer) and can no longer be raised in a Jewish household.

Kidnapped tells its story over many years, as Edgardo's family repeatedly plead and petition for the boy's return, only to be met with a wall of silence and increasingly frustrating dogma from the Catholic Church. Pope Pius is facing a wane in his power due to political upheaval and confusing his own insecurity and faith with antisemitism leads to a world of pain for Edgardo's family who are forced with the impossible choice of converting or losing their son for good.

If Bellocchio's decision to portray Pius in such a fashion is potentially at times slightly over the top with his insistence to have someone at the head of all this horror, it still doesn't remove from the horrifying base line ordeal that Edgardo's family had to go through- and Pius' own plummet into almost deranged outbursts might well have you feeling somewhat sorry for the former Pope.

However, I would imagine that for the majority this is another example of how religion can cause undeniable damage as well as provoke astonishing and unwavering belief, both in a positive and negative fashion. Bellocchio's film is invigorating in the way it pulls at your emotions, and tells its tale astutely with some terrific performances, but there is a perhaps a lack of ambition in terms of fully telling the story from all sides. This might well be what the director wanted and certainly may be what viewers feel themselves craving during its run time, but Kidnapped left me both suitably impressed and yet strangely hollow by its conclusion. 7.1/10