“The performances are exemplary, the screenplay powerful and each scene is lit like a high-era Caravaggio.”—Kevin Maher, The Times
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 takes a political dimension. But the Church and the Pope will not agree to return the child, to consolidate an increasingly wavering power. 2023, Italy, DCP, in Italian and Hebrew with English subtitles, 134 minutes. Recommended for 16+.
Talk Cinema is programmed by the esteemed film critic and film curator Harlan Jacobson featuring a sneak preview screening of an art-house film prior to its release followed by a discussion. Be the first to see the latest films and to share your impressions.
Past films have included Triangle of Sadness, Close, Spencer, The Worst Person in the World, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, The Two Popes, The Farewell, Moonlight, Shoplifters, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, and Lady Bird.