The Italian

2005, Andrei Kravchuk, Russia, 90m
featuring Solntsev Kolya Spiridonov

The Italian is a very human and sympathetic study of a young boy in the grim world of a Russian orphanage that carries overtones of Charles Dickens. The orphanage is run by the wily "Madam" who is only interested in making money by selling the children to wealthy westerners who come her way. Each adoption is treated as a financial transaction. The vulnerable but tough-skinned Vanya is given his nickname, "The Italian," when he is chosen for adoption by an Italian couple. It seems Vanya will be one of the lucky ones. However, Vanya's life changes when he meets the birth mother of another boy who had left for the West in the hands of foreigners. This encounter has a huge impact, and convinces Vanya that he needs to find his own birth mother. Vanya's roller-coaster ride through post-Glasnost Russia is an edifying and inspirational tale. – Toronto Film Festival (in Russian with English subtitles)

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