O Rapto

Um acontecimento real. A segunda metade do século XIX, quando a Igreja ainda era uma organização criminosa regular do ponto de vista atual. A encenação do filme, que agrada ao público, capta de forma completa a perceção dos acontecimentos por todos os envolvidos - os pais judeus cujo filho é sequestrado à força pela Igreja para o converter ao cristianismo; o irmão da criança sequestrada que, mesmo passados muitos anos, continua a acreditar no seu salvamento; os representantes da Igreja que acreditam exercer o poder divino; e o próprio Papa, que pensa que a única pessoa a quem tem de obedecer é Deus. Uma injustiça sufocante regida pelo poder cego, cujo fruto é a separação, o sofrimento e a perda dos laços familiares e da própria identidade. [Cannes FF] (27/05/2023)

A very sad true story of a six-year-old boy who was torn from the arms of his Jewish family to convert to the Christian faith, one of monstrous practices of the Church. The family has been trying for years to get the boy back home, but to no avail, and little Edgardo has a difficult, almost impossible task ahead of him: to remain faithful to his family and his faith despite years of brainwashing, which results in his utter ambivalence. The most heartbreaking scene is the reunion years later with his mother, who is on her deathbed. The film has a fantastic production design, the performances of all the main actors are admirable, my only criticism would be the running time (I would have cut it by 20 minutes), and the dramatic music is a bit too religious at times, but otherwise it is definitely worth seeing. [Festival de Cannes 2023] (29/05/2023)

Things have never been easy with some Catholics, all the more so when the going got hard. The film tells the story of a kidnapped Jewish boy who was born in the wrong time under the wrong circumstances. As a premise for a big drama set against the backdrop of the Italian Risorgimento, it looks promising. Why then did I find the often unnecessarily overblown music the most dramatic? The boy experiences a lot in the first act, but after the first sermon, only the traditional brainwashing begins, which is not bad by any means, but gives little insight into the protagonist's psyche. The potentially interesting coming of age at the mercy of the Vatican is skipped altogether, as the film wants to have time for the courtroom drama and the gradual decline of this bankrupt state, and in the process, the main character literally fades away. (31/10/2023)