Vatican Girl: The Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi

An extraordinary documentary about how The Vatican covered up the disappearance of one of their own. I thought I knew a lot about The Church's corruption, turns out covering up hundreds of years of paedophilia was just the beginning. Their links to organised crime, international political corruption, potential human trafficking are all on show. However at the centre, is a real, grieving family who dedicated their lives to this organisation and still have no answers, 40 years on. Every person needs to know this story. Especially every Catholic.

If you thought the British Royal Family was a mess, Trump's America a ridiculous reality show, and the circumstances around JFK's death a puzzle, welcome to the Vatican!

Let's get rid of one aspect upfront: as several reviews remark, the documentary drags a little here and there; could've been 3 episodes maybe? Yes probably.

But - is this really the point?

No, I done think so. This is a tragic story and had to be told; and re-told over and over again.

The documentary has the big merit of laying on the table all the facts and the underlying theories, from the most credible to the obviously fake, behind the Orlandi case in a rather objective and lucid manner.

And while, as expected, the documentary offers no culprit, it leaves the viewer with a well documented certainty: whatever the truth is, there is only one knowing it: the Vatican. And the Vatican keeps hiding it; and this is an insult to the family, to the justice system and to their faithfuls.

Considering the huge cost in terms of reputation damage this is causing to the Vatican, the benefit of doing it must be bigger. So it must be VERY big.

I've appreciated the courage of the journalists and the reconstruction of this very muddy story.

It is a little bit too kitsch in some passages, but it is very useful and well mounted.

I hope that this will contribute to re-open the case and to give some relief to this very suffering family.

It is not known whether this new media attention will even succeed in reopening the judicial investigation, which had been archived for years: "Difficult - declares Pietro Orlandi - until I find a magistrate who wants to put his finger on and start over to get to understand. So far. There was no one. Someone tried. But then he was excluded from the case. The Vatican suits everyone and everyone suits the Vatican.

Premix: as a non-italian, I would have probably given a lower rating. However, everyone living in Italy knows the importance of this story in the Italian "pop" culture, and how important it is to keep talking about it.

The story narrated is incredibly interesting, and the docu-series helps re-ordering the puzzle which has been unfolded in the last 35 years. A puzzle with various and different pieces: a story of a missing girl, a story with intertwined religious and political powers, a story of corruption, a story of a family which never loses faith.

However, although the docu-series lucidly describes all the different theories behind this case, it does not really add anything new to what is already known, a part from the very last new witness in the last episode, giving a sense of "I whish but I couldn't" as soon as the last episode ends.

On the production side, the docu-series is well done, though it was probably way over-streched: some specific episodes received way too much importance, and the cut-scenes were all over the places and way over used throughout all the episodes, ending up boring the viewer.

Nevertheless, if someone is able to overcome these issue, and to focus on the main point of the story, she will be able to better understand what is behind one of the biggest scandal in Vatican's history, and to witness the tragic story of Emanuela Orlandi.

Let's hope the truth will come out sooner or later.

Very long and drawn out but unfortunately is exactly what this poor family have had to endure for most of their lives. One review thought it was one sided but when the Vatican have refused to comment, take part, provide any other facts or show the slightest bit of compassion to this dignified family it can only lead to the obvious conclusion. The church can no longer hide these dreadful crimes and say no comment without defending themselves. This is the real reason populations are deserting the churches. Too much of their abhorrent behaviour has come to light. So many are no longer sheep but some have been lambs unwittingly to a miserable slaughter. They all need justice.