Review of The Italian (2005) by Loay O — 27 Apr 2008

This Russian Cinema offering tells the story of Vanya: a 6 year old orphan living in a rundown orphanage in a remote Russian village. For him and the other children, life is without hope, unless, of course, they are adopted by wealthy foreigners.

For Vanya, hope comes in the form of an Italian couple. But while arrangements are being made an incident occurs when the mother of another child appears, seeking her son. Vanya begins to wonder what would happen if his own mother reappeared, and he was living in Italy.

He embarks on a journey to find his mother at all costs. The Italian" is a film tuned to the realities of life in a harsh environment, where cruel and violent deeds often share the stage with acts of random kindness.

Vanya's epic adventure provides more than ample opportunity for him to experience both. The director manages to capture the desolation of person and of place in such a way that disbelief is almost total that such things can still be ongoing in this world of great wealth, albeit selectively concentrated.

But the real warmth and love in this film resonates from this wonderful little actor behind Vanya (Kolya Spiridonov). He could not be much older than the 6yr old he plays and yet he was able to convey more emotion, devastation and warmth than many adult actors.

A Heroic Film of Great Beauty, Sadness and Heart.