Kidnapped (2023)
Kidnapped
”A young Jewish boy is kidnapped in 1858 Italy, sparking a political battle.”
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Why watch this film?
In Kidnapped (Rapito), Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio delves into one of the murkiest and most controversial episodes in the history of the Catholic Church, the "Mortara case". In 1851, when Jewish boy Edgardo Mortara becomes gravely ill, his Catholic nanny decides to baptize him in an emergency. However, papal law dictates that all Catholics must be raised as such, so the cardinal orders the boy to be taken and handed over to the church, against his parents' wishes, who decide to fight for him. The film recounts a controversial case that captured the attention of the rest of Europe and America, and skillfully portrays the clash of interests between the waning power of the church, Mortara's parents, and public opinion, with irreversible consequences for all involved.
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Plot summary
'Kidnapped' - The story of Edgardo Mortara, a young Jewish boy living in Bologna, Italy, who in 1858, after being secretly baptized, was forcibly taken from his family to be raised as a Christian. His parents’ struggle to free their son became part of a larger political battle that pitted the papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification.
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