‘Kidnapped’ Trailer: Marco Bellocchio Explores a Dark Chapter in Catholic Church History

Ryan Lattanzio

May 9, 2024 at 1:45 p.m.·2 min read

Marco Bellocchio is the 84-year-old Italian director behind films like “Fists in the Pocket” from 1965, “Vincere” from 2009, and “Devil in the Flesh” from 1986. His strict Catholic upbringing has led him to make films that take a critical eye toward the Church, condemning its politics and documented history of abuse. Now, he is taking the Church to task once again with his latest film, “Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara,” out May 24 from Cohen Media Group. Watch the trailer, an IndieWire exclusive, below.

Here’s the official synopsis: “In 1858, in the Jewish quarter of Bologna, the Pope’s soldiers burst into the home of the Mortara family. By order of the cardinal, they have come to take Edgardo, their seven-year-old son. The child had been secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby and the papal law is unquestionable: he must receive a Catholic education. Edgardo’s parents, distraught, will do anything to get their son back. Supported by public opinion and the international Jewish community, the Mortaras’ struggle quickly take a political dimension. But the Church and the Pope will not agree to return the child, to consolidate an increasingly wavering power.”

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Reactions to the politically charged art film in Bellocchio’s home country have been strong, as well as elsewhere in Europe. “Kidnapped” has already grossed more than $4 million at the Italian box office and was also nominated for a César, France’s equivalent to the Academy Awards.

“With stately restraint, Bellocchio manages to put the audience in an ever-tightening chokehold of tension and outrage,” The Guardian wrote. The cast of the film includes Paolo Pierobon, Fausto Russo Alesi, Barbara Ronchi, and Enea Sala.

Here’s the exclusive trailer for “Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara.”

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