IFF24 Kidnapped M

Director Marco Bellocchio stirred Cannes with this extraordinary film. A gripping historical drama recounting the true story of a six-year-old Jewish boy, Edgardo Mortara, who was abducted by the Vatican in 1858. From the moment the Pope‘s soldiers burst into the Bologna home, we are swept into an enthralling tale. A nursemaid had secretly baptised the child, and under Papal law, Edgardo must receive a Catholic Education. Bellocchio explores historical anti-semitism with an operatic sweep. It is a brilliant study of what happens when human values are abandoned by dogmatic authoritarianism. Sixty years of filmmaking give 83 year old Bellocchio an assured mastery of a period film with old-school grandeur. It is an unforgettable story that remained with me long after the lights came up.