Eight-year-old Arabella just wants to go to Taco King. Played by boisterous newcomer Lucrezia Guglielmino, she’s like most other primary-school children: she wants attention from her slightly self-obsessed literary father, Oreste (Chris Pine, in his first Italian-language role), and a greasy snack to go along with it. And so, the clever kid finds a way to run away, leading to the titular event in Milan-born screenwriter and director Carolina Cavalli’s second feature, The Kidnapping of Arabella [+leggi anche:
intervista: Carolina Cavalli
scheda film], screening in Venice’s Orizzonti strand. This marks Cavalli’s second player on the Lido, having premiered her debut feature, Amanda [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Benedetta Porcaroli
scheda film] (2022), in Orizzonti Extra; she also previously co-wrote Fremont with Babak Jalali (who serves as the editor of Cavalli’s latest work).

Fresh from having been fired from her dead-end job at an ice rink, the disenchanted 28-year-old Holly (Benedetta Porcaroli, in her second collaboration with Cavalli) spots Arabella in the Taco King parking lot. In that moment, she deludes herself into believing she has somehow found a hole in dimensions – owing to her background in physics – and has, in turn, stumbled upon her younger self. But the eight-year-old sees an opportunity to use Holly’s naïvety, convincing the woman that she’s correct and to take her away.

All of these elements together make for a composite that seems to promise a story of self-discovery, the nurturing of one’s inner child and adventure, all with a splash of dramatic irony. However, the relationship between the two never gels in a way that compels closeness for the viewer, and further side characters – like Maccarico (Marco Bonadei), a police officer and Holly’s pseudo-love interest, and Granatina (Eva Robin’s), an ageing ballerina with ties to Holly’s mother – are introduced without retaining the emotional stakes necessary.

The cinematography by Lorenzo Levrini suggests a more traditional drama, moving between a darker tone in its night scenes and the very bright and sprightly images conveyed in its poster and key stills. At the same time, the film’s off-kilter elements are clearly tending towards a greater whole: Arabella screams about her father’s jealous obsession with US author Jonathan Franzen, for instance, while Holly gives the awkward moniker “Britney the Pooh” at a hotel reception. However, they never stick the landing, teetering on the cusp of drama with the comedic elements too surface-level to have an impact.

By the end, the film’s voice-over makes it clear that these 100-or-so minutes are meant to be a sound reflection on our desire for escapism and looking to remake the past. In this moment, when the viewer is guided what to think, The Kidnapping of Arabella begins to come together. But without it, it's hard to cling deeply to the characters’ journeys over the course of the story, despite Cavalli’s meaningful intentions.

The Kidnapping of Arabella is an Italian production by Elsinore Film, The Apartment (a Fremantle company) and Piper Film in collaboration with Tenderstories. Its world sales are handled by Charades.