The Italian

A suitable film for children and adults, The Italian tells the story of young Vanya, who, abandoned in an orphanage, faces the possibility of being adopted and taken to Italy – portrayed as warm and welcoming compared to the coldness of Mother Russia. For the first time the boy (a fine child actor, Kolya Spiridonov) begins to wonder about his natural mother. He reads his personal file then sets off across the country with only a distant address and his own resourcefulness to guide him, pursued by the ruthless adoption broker (played by the veteran Mariya Kuznetsova, most recently seen here in Russian Ark).

Thanks to Soda Pictures