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Kolya Spiridonov, Denis Moiseenko, Sasha Skirotkin, Vladimir Shipov, Yuri Itskov ... see more see more... , Polina Vorobieva , Olga Shuvalova , Andrei Yelizarov , Maria Kuznetsova , Nikolai Reutov , Dima Zemlyanko , Dariya Lesnikova , Rudolf Kuld , Tatyana Zakharova , Irina Osnovina , Elena Malinonskaya , Andrei Dezhonov , Vladimir Kosmidailo , Anatoly Agroskin , Vladimir Kuteinikov , Sergey Zkuhovich , Sergey Zhukovich , Dmitry Konokotov , Diana Shishlyaeva , Olga Lysenkova , Vladimir Ryazantsev , Alexei Koshevoy , Mariya Kuznetsova , Sasha Sirotkin

An abandoned Russian child forsakes a life of luxury in the name of finding his true mother in director Andrei Kravchuk's affecting drama. Vanya is a six-year-old boy who is about to be adopted by a l... read more read more...oving Italian couple, but this is a crucial moment in his life, and there are choices to be made. Will Vanya be content to simply spend his days basking in the warmth of the Mediterranean sun, or will his desire to know his true mother slowly eat away at him from the inside for the rest of his life? Though he eventually decides that in order to move on with his life he must first seek out his birth mother, Vanya must learn to read the file containing the information he will need to locate her. As Vanya sets out on the ultimate journey of self-discovery, he is about to find out that the world of children is a universe unto itself, a universe where the longings of the heart often overpower the ability to reason. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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68% liked it

26,395 ratings

Critics

91% liked it

93 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Andrey Kravchuk, Andrei Kravchuk

Release Date: January 19, 2007

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DVD Release Date: May 22, 2007

Stats: 819 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (819)

  • itsjustme2004
    January 9, 2012
    itsjustme2004
    Wonderful movie. The little boy in this film is really adorable, and an extremely convincing actor. The story is not melodramatic, or deliberately tear jerking, as many child "lead" films tend to be. There are a few difficult scenes, but the entire movie as a whole was very sweet... read more...and left me in awe at the direction. It really warms my heart to watch real quality films....this one including.
  • RCCLBC
    March 8, 2011
    RCCLBC
    A very touching story about the struggles of a six year old Russian orphan, who (after landing the ultimate placement for a Russian orphan - a nice couple from Italy) has an incredibly mature epiphany that prior to the move.

    What if his real mother comes for him after he is ad... read moreopted? Does anyone know who his mother is? Is she still alive?

    This sets him on a quest to find out the truth about who he is and how he became an orphan in the first place. A quest that is clouded by a shady child broker who tells him he must be an idiot to not want to go to Italy and threatens to have him locked up in the "idiot hospital" if he refuses.

    What would you do? A happy adopted life in sunny Italy, or risk it all on the hopes of finding your real mother and staying in a rather bleak and cold Russia?

    The journey is harrowing but heartwarming and the results are touching.
  • CrookedlittleB33
    December 19, 2007
    CrookedlittleB33
    This movie completely engrossed me, I haven't seen anything this emotionally rivetting in a really long time. It's one of those films that if it can hit the mark, it does...without mercy.

    Of course, those of you who detest subtitles....beware! 'cause it's another foreign film, t... read morehis time it's Russian.

    I've not heard of any of these actors before, and this review is probably fricken' biased...but who cares...let's get on with the story!

    It's about a little boy, Ivan [affectionately Vayna for short] Solnestev who is one of the numerous children in a little orphanage in some little town in Russia [I'm presuming]. Anyways, so the film begins with a nice young Italian couple coming by to check out this little boy deciding on whether or not they would like to adopt him and give him a fulfilling life in Italy.

    Regardless of this fantastic offer, the little six-year-old is still in a dilemma as after his good friend Alesha Mushkin is carted off to another family a short while before...finally, his birth mother shows up distraught looking for him fervently. Instead, the director of the orphanage kicks her out and threatens to kill her. After drinking too much vodka sitting at the bus stop she waits until Vayna, his friend Anton and an older girl Natasha who went shopping come back and asks little Ivan to sit and talk to her about Alesha.

    Later on we learn that 'allegedly' Mushkin's real mother threw herself onto the train tracks...although the older kids swear she just drank too much and fell and that starts Vanya thinking. 'What if when I'm in Italy and my real mother comes looking for me?' As his friend Anton says, 'Once they change your name, that's it. There's no hope of them for ever finding you again.'

    Determined to find out about his birth mother Vanya takes on a lot of very brave, and sometimes quite foolish tasks that included breaking into the director's safe for personal files, stealing from Nikolai [who being one of the older kids takes advantage of the younger ones by having them work for him and give him all their money], and eventually leaving the chances of Italy far behind him.

    The hardships that he faces seem a little bit surreal and unrealistic for a six-year-old to deal with but once engrossed by this film we stop and wonder 'how the hell do we know what we would do in that situation?'

    The amazing quest that Vanya sets out on is something of a dream which he struggles to make a reality, facing various [dangerous] obstacles, kind people, neglect, apathy, escaping the authorities and so forth. Eventually he learns that the world isn't altogether necessarily a safe and happy place and that sometimes although the brain is yelling at us to stop our heart beats on stronger and louder drowning out any warnings that the brain utters.
  • bbcfloridabound
    October 28, 2007
    bbcfloridabound
    This is a Great Movie, its in the Russian Language with English Subtitles. Its about a boy who is ready to be take'n in by foster parents in Italy, right befor the adoption, he runs off to find his real Mom. Worth the watch, but wouldn't let anyone under 16 watch it.
  • puffchunk
    October 11, 2007
    puffchunk
    Decent, mostly because it has Russians in it. Rabbit proof fence does this story better.
  • gator681
    January 9, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]"The Italian" takes place in Russia where Vanya(Kolya Spiridonov) is a six-year old orphan who is in the process of being adopted by an Italian couple. Everything is going well until the mother(Dariya Lesnikova) of one of Vanya's friends comes to collect him... read more but he has already been adopted. This gets Vanya thinking about his own mother...[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]"The Italian" is a contrived movie whose leaden plotting(the movie does not really start until it is about halfway over) ruins any possible chance it might have had to explore the complex moral issues in play. To start, what does happen to those who cannot fend for themselves when a country's social services collapses? Here, it is exhibited in a Dickensian orphanage where the older boys run a black market while the older girls are farmed out for prostitution. The grown-ups turn a blind eye while selling their charges to wealthy couples from abroad which does little for the native country.[/font]
  • sportsphenom1
    August 27, 2009
    sportsphenom1
    The moral of the story is don't get lost in Russia, no one will help you. Okay, so the second act dragged a bit, but overall this is a strong cinematic effort. The six year old actor is really good and really adorable, and the director deserves credit for good storytelling.
  • smootysveen
    May 17, 2009
    smootysveen
    I would probably not have made it through past the first ten minutes of the movie if the kid didn't completely light up the screen.
  • donnarenee2006
    January 19, 2008
    donnarenee2006
    A well done movie. One of the best foreign movies I have seen in the past year. It has such intensity, yet dramatic and tremendous acting, especially by the little one who takes into his own hands of determination to find his true mother. A great flick. I loved it and would watch... read more it over and over.
  • sazonovk
    August 27, 2009
    sazonovk
    This film is an absolute treasure! It is not only well done, and I don't mean super effects or huge budget, but well done from a true Cinematic and directorial approach, it also has a very interesting script. Most importantly, this film has a soul; it adds humanity to our conscio... read moreusness, which is rare in this "postmodern" age we live in. Acting is excellent especially if you take under consideration that most of the characters are children. Like any great film, it speaks of the personal story and goes beyond, dealing with bigger issues. Moreover, this film follows the great Russian film tradition, reminded me of Tarkovsky, even though the style is very different, and more recent film "The Return" which came out of Russia couple years ago and won international awards.

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Critic Reviews

Andrea Gronvall
December 4, 2007
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader

This 2005 story about a Russian boy whose mother has given him up may be derivative, but it's still engrossing, largely because of its appealing juvenile lead, Kolya Spiridonov. Full Review

Jonathan F. Richards
April 30, 2007
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

This film is about many things, but the magic key that unlocks the treasure chest is literacy. Full Review

Teresa Wiltz
April 27, 2007
Teresa Wiltz, Washington Post

At times, the difficulties that Vanya encounters strain credulity. The Italian doesn't bother to infuse its characters with complex motivations. They're either Bad or Good. Full Review

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
March 15, 2007
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The ending isn't exactly happily-ever-after, but it leaves you with a deep-down respect and affection for this determined little tyke who perseveres against all odds. Full Review

John Monaghan
March 9, 2007
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

Wise, resilient children aren't especially new to the movies, but when they're presented this sensitively, they're always worth revisiting. Full Review

Colin Covert
March 3, 2007
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

The overall mood is crushingly sad. The society's grime and poverty are depicted with pitiless realism. Full Review

Michael Booth
March 2, 2007
Michael Booth, Denver Post

Director Andrei Kravchuk infuses his story with a Dickensian mix of benevolence and indifference. The pacing is assured, and his cameras peek through the Russian mist as if watching a fairy tale, unce... Full Review

Robert Denerstein
March 2, 2007
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

Vanya's gritty travels propel the movie forward. The Italian runs on the unshakable faith of a very determined boy.

Bruce Westbrook
February 23, 2007
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

Milking sympathy for parentless children is no stretch in The Italian. More impressive is its affecting look at their reeling mother country. Full Review

Steven Rea
February 16, 2007
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A powerful indictment of Russia's illegal adoption industry -- and a story of pipsqueak resolve and resilience.

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