Stefano Mordini's 'La scuola cattolica' Censored for Minors in Italy

Stefano Mordini's film 'La scuola cattolica', based on Edoardo Albinati's Strega Prize-winning novel, premiered out of competition at the 78th Venice Film Festival and was released in Italian theaters on October 7, 2021, by Warner Bros. The film recounts the 1975 Circeo massacre, where a group of wealthy Roman Catholic schoolboys brutally murdered two young women. Mordini's adaptation focuses on the perpetrators' upbringing in an all-male educational environment, exploring themes of male supremacy and violence without explicitly depicting fascism or drug abuse. The Italian Ministry of Culture's film classification commission banned the film for viewers under 18, citing that it equates victims and perpetrators, particularly in a scene where a teacher discusses a flagellation painting of Christ. Mordini expressed shock at the decision, noting that the film actually shows that individuals can choose not to deviate toward evil. He argued that censoring the film deprives a generation of a tool for awareness against gender-based violence, which remains relevant today. The film features a largely debut cast and was written by Mordini and others.