El pequeño Vanya

The Italian is a wonderful and heart warming film, a great performance by it's staring young lead actor, Koyla Spiridonov. I was reminded of a similar film I had just watched, Under the Same Moon, which also was carried by an equally strong performance by it's young actor. Movies like these have a real chance to include a huge supporting cast which can sometimes be great for the film, but other times overshadows the main character and their story. The Italian's side characters are under developed but in this case that is for the best, the young boy is such a strong character that he is all that is needed. In Under the Same Moon the opposite of that works better, where the supporting characters help the audience connect to the main characters. The ending I felt was very beautiful, went away from a typical ending, maybe a bit cheesy, but if you really get into this story then why would you want anything else for this young man.

This film is saved from being a sentimental tearjerker by the performances of the wonderful cast. Set in a children's home in northern Russia, just as the long winter gives way to a miserable wet spring, the story is an absorbing tale about a little boy who tries to find the mother who abandoned him as a baby. While almost Dickensian, the home is run by kindly people doing the best with what they have, which is nothing. Mostly losers, conscious of the fact that they never reached their full potential, or even half their full potential, they try to cope with the collapse of order in modern Russia.

The children are mainly left to their own devices, especially the older ones who resort to petty crime and prostitution to survive. Little Vanya should be able to read, but no one seems to be teaching the children, they just exist.

Other than the standout performance of Lolya Spiridov, in the lead, the ones who caught my eye were the home's director, who looked as if he had been born a dissipated alcoholic, and the assertive baby broker known as "Madame" who would be right at home selling condos in Florida, the sweet faced red-haired Irka, who sells her body to truckers, and the tragic mother who tries to late to find her child. She marched around in furs with wads of bribery cash, reminding people that she could be very generous in return for information.

At first I could not understand why Russia would allow a film showing a dark underside to be made, then I realized that it was an indictment of the women who "lose" their children at railway stations and otherwise neglect to raise their children, and the practice of foreign adoptions for money.

Definitely a film to see.

It is not likely that I will find Andrei Kravchuk's first film, A Christmas Miracle< in my search for Christmas movies to get me in the spirit; but, his second film, and Russia's entry into the Oscar race is truly heartwarming and an outstanding sophomore venture for the new director.

Six-year-old Vanya (Kolya Spiridonov) is being adopted from a Russian orphanage by an Italian couple. While waiting, he comes across a mother looking for her son, who has long since been adopted. He decides to find his own mother and sets out to make this happen, even though he has already be "sold." Of course, the people who sold him are trying to find him as he journeys to find his mother. Six years old and off on a journey well beyond his years. Like so many children in the world he has to grow up too fast - most because of war or tragedy like Darfur.

You will be torn by what the children at the orphanage do to survive, and you will be heartened by the strangers who help him along the way. Most of all, you will find that there are some great movies out there that do not depend on CGI or excessive violence to entertain. This is certainly one of them.

this was one of the best movies i have seen in a long time. not only was kolya spiridov magnificent, every actor young and old were intense. the lyricism of this movie is simply magnificent. i felt the cold, the dampness, the starkness and disagreeing completely with someone else's comment on this movie, i found the score perfect. economical, to the point, letting us feel the story without suggesting it for us as Hollywood tends to do. also... directed superbly where the main character doesn't get cheap emotions out of us by making us 'cry' by crying. we suffer his plight a great deal more as he goes through the film just as is. superb, intricate, inspired. this film deserves great recognition and all the accolades a great movie should ever get. i recommend it greatly.

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 consciousness, 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.