[REQ] Il Rapimento di Arabella AKA The kidnapping of Arabella (2025)

[Caleyunior]

Like Maia Kealoha, the protagonist of the film Lilo & Stitch, she has her own official Instagram account, managed by her parents.

[Night457]

I saw the whole thing at the cinema, so I promise I won't give away any spoilers

Is it a Spoiler to reveal how much screen time there is for that chicken?

[Caleyunior]

Is it a Spoiler to reveal how much screen time there is for that chicken?

Night457, You taught me not to reveal spoilers, because it can be annoying to many people, and it's like when I buy a Christmas present for a relative and someone reveals what kind of present I bought, that's ruining the surprise. I'm so sorry, but I can't say anything, I can't even tell you if there are any twists or turns; you'll have to wait.

I know some of you are curious, but I repeat, I went to the cinema to see it, and I liked the plot, the story, and the actors (including little Arabella).

[Moonee]

I mean, I don't see the problem with putting it in a spoiler tag with some type of warning text

If they don't want to be spoiled and opens the spoiler, that's their own fault

[Night457]

You may be in this for cute Arabella, but I am in it for the chicken. I just don't want to get my expectations too high.

[Caleyunior]

In the trailer scene where you see Arabella sitting next to a chicken, it's not a person dressed up as a chicken, but an animal. Director Carolina Cavalli had to insert this element out of context to create a surreal atmosphere.

The bird (often referred to as a hen) is Holly and Arabella's traveling companion. It appears in several scenes, such as on the car seat or next to the little girl, treated almost as if it were a human passenger or a conventional pet. It's natural for that hen to look like a person in disguise, but that's not the case. The choice to frame it in typically human situations (sitting composedly, participating in silent dialogue) serves to underscore the eccentricity of the world in which the protagonists (Holly and Arabella) live, where the line between reality and the absurd is very thin.

Therefore, no character plays the bird (i.e., the hen); its presence is purely scenic and symbolic.

So, to give you a better idea, she acts as a traveling companion with Holly and Arabella during their road movie through Italy, sitting next to the little girl or being carried by the two protagonists as if she were a normal member of the group. Just like Holly, who feels like "the wrong version of herself," the presence of such a common animal in an unusual context reflects the characters' sense of isolation and misalignment with social conventions.

The chicken you saw in the trailer acts as a visual disturbance, transforming a dramatic story into a surreal and visionary fairy tale. It's not a speaking character, but a real animal that contributes to making the film a dark comedy with dreamlike overtones.

[Moonee]

The chicken looks plain ugly

Sounds like it'll be some guy in a chicken suit

I'm in this for cute little Arabella

[Caleyunior]

Sounds like it'll be some guy in a chicken suit

Actually, he's a guy dressed as a chicken, but in the film he'll be portrayed as an animal and not a character in drag.

[Moonee]

Wtf

So, in reality it's a guy dressed in a chicken suit but it's not supposed to be portrayed like this.. It's supposed to be an actual chicken who is 6 foot or smth

That's even more super weird

[Caleyunior]

That's even more super weird

You're right, the film isn't just beautiful, it's also strangely made. Truth be told, I found that chicken creepy when I saw it in the theater, believe me (and not only), but you can see the rest with your own eyes when it comes out on DVD.