Kidnapped – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Kidnapped

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2023

74%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

A sweeping, high-stakes historical drama about the 19th-century Vatican kidnapping of a Jewish boy and the political firestorm that followed.

86%

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Kidnapped

movie

M, 2023

74%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

A sweeping, high-stakes historical drama about the 19th-century Vatican kidnapping of a Jewish boy and the political firestorm that followed.

86%

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Screenwise Verdict

Kidnapped is a heavy-duty historical epic that feels like a throwback to the big, serious movies of the 70s. It tells the true story of Edgardo Mortara, a Jewish boy taken by the Catholic Church in 1858, and it doesn't pull any punches regarding the trauma of that event.

For a kid who loves history or a family looking for a deep dive into European politics and religious identity, this is gold. But be warned: it’s slow, it’s in Italian, and it’s heartbreaking. This isn't 'fun' viewing, but it is deeply rewarding for the right audience.

Age Fit

This is firmly for the 13+ crowd. It's not that the content is 'bad'—it's just a dense, subtitled political drama that requires a level of historical interest and emotional maturity that younger kids won't have yet.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

While it's a story of family devotion, the central conflict is about religious persecution and the forced separation of a child from his parents. It is emotionally taxing rather than 'warm.'

Imaginative

The period detail and historical recreation are top-tier, though it's a grounded historical drama rather than a work of high creative fantasy.

Safe

The 'violence' here is mostly psychological and systemic. There are moments of intense religious pressure and the inherent trauma of the kidnapping itself, but it lacks modern graphic content.

Enriching

This is a masterclass in history. It covers the Unification of Italy, the power of the Papacy, and the Jewish experience in 19th-century Europe with incredible nuance.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Historical depth that goes way beyond a textbook, showing the messy intersection of religion and the birth of modern Italy.
Stunning visuals from director Marco Bellocchio that make 1850s Bologna look like a living Caravaggio painting.
Complex morality that doesn't settle for easy villains, even while depicting a clear and present injustice.

⚠

What to Watch For

The emotional weight of a six-year-old being hauled away from his screaming parents is a lot to handle, even for teens.
It is a subtitled Italian film, so if your kid isn't down for reading the screen for two hours, this is a non-starter.
The depictions of religious indoctrination are intense and might be confusing or upsetting for kids without prior context on the era's politics.

Conversation Starters

"Why did the Pope believe he had a legal and moral right to take Edgardo?"
"How does the story change your view of how 'unification' happens in a country?"
"Can a person truly belong to a religion they were forced into as a child?"
"What role did the media and public opinion play in the Mortara family's struggle?"

Deep Dive

Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped (originally Rapito) is the kind of movie that reminds you that history is often stranger and more brutal than fiction. The Mortara case was a genuine international scandal in the 19th century, involving everyone from the Pope to Napoleon III, and Bellocchio captures that scale without losing the intimate horror of a family being torn apart.

What makes this particularly interesting for parents and older teens is the way it explores the concept of identity. We see Edgardo grow up inside the Vatican, caught between the memory of his family and the intense, ritualistic world of the Church. It’s a fascinating look at how institutions can reshape a person's reality.

From a technical standpoint, the movie is flawless. The lighting, the costumes, and the performances—especially the young and older versions of Edgardo—are captivating. However, the 'Watchability Penalty' applies here for the average modern viewer. This is a two-hour-plus foreign language film with a deliberate pace. If you're going to watch this with your teen, it’s best treated as an 'event' movie—something to discuss over dinner afterward rather than something to have on in the background.

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