Rapito - A Pope, a Child, and a Crumbling Empire

Italian master director Marco Bellocchio delivers one of the most furious and visually magnificent historical dramas of recent years with "Rapito" (Kidnapped). Based on the devastating true story of Edgardo Mortara, the film transports us to 1858 Bologna, where a young Jewish boy is ripped from his family's arms by papal guards. It was discovered that a maid had secretly baptized him while he was sick, meaning by Vatican law, he must be raised Catholic.

The resulting international scandal threatened the authority of Pope Pius IX just as the Italian unification was gathering speed. Bellocchio paints this clash beautifully, staging the opulence of the Vatican against the tear-stained desperation of the Mortara family fighting an impossible battle against the absolute power of the Church.

More than a period costume drama, "Rapito" operates as a tense psychological horror regarding religious fanaticism. A haunting, masterfully executed cinematic experience.