The year is 1864 and Edgardo Mortara is a six-year-old boy who is suddenly taken away from his Jewish family because the Papal authorities declare that they believe he was baptized in secret and thus is actually a Christian and unfit to be raised by Jewish parents. In the process of attempting to win back their son, the Mortara family bring to head political tensions that have been growing between the democratic Italian government and the Catholic Church, who still wielded a tremendous amount of power at the time. This sparks an international controversy with anti-papal political factions all over Europe getting involved. But at the core of the issue, what does Edgardo want? And did he ever have a choice?

Kidnapped is something of a multi-faceted movie, showing the emotional toll of having a child taken from a family and their struggle to get him back while also taking a macro view of socio-political ramifications of the power that the Catholic Church held at the time. This is a lot of heavy lifting to do within a single narrative and the film does sag a bit as a result with some of the story beats coming in through broad brush strokes in a more heavy-handed fashion. Still, it offers a strikingly balanced perspective, humanizing the people of the church and showing how Edgardo was treated with care and attention despite the circumstances. What this does is setup the core struggle in the film of what Edgardo actually wants for himself at the end of the day. Looking at it from the outside it may seem obvious how erroneous an act has been committed by the papal authorities, but when all you see is one perspective from a young age, it colors how you view the world and makes for an interesting nature vs. nurture discussion. Director Marco Bellocchio has had a long and prosperous career in the Italian film industry, going all the way back to the ’60s with classics like Fists in the Pocket. As a result, the film is obviously the product of a seasoned pro with a sumptuously lensed look that takes a patient, studied approach to filmmaking, creating an almost painterly look within the frame at times. The costuming and production design are also extravagantly produced in detail, creating a living, breathing world of the past.

The film is beautifully shot by cinematographer Francesco Di Giacomo, and Cohen has done his work justice wonderfully with a very clear and crisp transfer that nails the saturated color palette of the film very well with nary a blemish to be seen. The disc also comes with both 5.1 Surround and 2.0 stereo audio tracks in the original Italian language with English subtitles, and while the 5.1 track isn’t going to give your system a workout, it does offer a nice sense of immersion with ancillary sounds spread across the channels and the mannered score presented robustly. For extras, the film includes an introduction by director Marco Bellucchio as well an an interview with him. While the interview was somewhat informative, I would’ve preferred something a little more comprehensive. It would have been especially appreciated to perhaps include a documentary/visual essay that covered the history of the Catholic Church and how they came to wield so much power to begin with to allow the events depicted in the film to happen.

While Kidnapped is a weighty film that at times threatens to snap under the weight of its own ambitious storytelling, it’s beautifully-shot and has a real emotional resonance. Cohen has delivered a solid disc that nails the technical aspects despite being a little light on extras. Fans of well-made dramas will find a lot to like here.