The Italian
Directed by Andrei Kravchuk
Opens Feb. 2

Film Review by LESTER GRAY
Arts Editor

The opening scenes of The Italian introduce us to bleakness: a vast expanse of snow and ice interrupted by sparse vegetation. A tired, off-plumb, two-story dwelling, fortressed by a dysfunctional wrought iron gate, stands inviting only for lack of any other shelter.

Here lives 6-year-old Vanya (Kolya Spiridonov), aka the Italian, who’s actually a Russian. His home is an orphanage, billeting boys into their late teens. Bilaterally administrated by an official staff and a criminal-like hierarchy of the wards, the home offers a slightly more humane version of Oliver Twist’s workhouse.

The in-house mafia, headed by the more senior residents, manages a fund, to which every boarder contributes their entire wealth. Since the otherwise homeless children have no source of income, they endure a type of forced labor that includes washing windows at the local service station in freezing temperatures. The lone girl works as a prostitute.

The headmaster (Yuri Itskov), on the other hand, supplements his meager income assisting in the procurement of new tenants and their subsequent adoption, i.e., sales to foreign couples. A craven and worn-out bureaucrat with few skills and even less hope, he receives a percentage of each adoption fee.

His latest commission comes from an Italian family, who after visiting the orphanage, invest their heart and money in Vanya; thus the particular sobriquet bestowed by his mates. It is somewhat of an honor, for his fortune is everyone else’s dream-come-true. Vanya’s not so sure, especially in light of an unexpected event.

A despondent woman arrives at the door of the orphanage seeking a child she had earlier abandoned, finding he has already been adopted. Witnessing her tragedy, Vanya comforts her and in the process awakens his own curiosity. Where is his biological family?

The headmaster assures Vanya he has no living relatives and his buddies suggest he’s looking a gift-horse in the mouth. The adoption broker (Maria Kuznetsova), a madam who trades in children much as Cruella De Vil deals in Dalmatians, considers the adoption a done deal, and she’s not pleased with Vanya’s change of heart.

The story of Vanya’s determination to discover the truth begins to lean on contrivances (he learns to read in less than two months), and during an unimaginative and lengthy chase sequence, this once-compelling tale spends the currency it had so dutifully earned.

The Dickensian The Italian is based on a true story and inspired by a concern for the children of Russia, a country that remains in turmoil. Many of these unfortunate youngsters roam the streets trying to make a living through whatever means available.

In director Andrei Kravchuk‘s first feature film, he has done a marvelous job coaxing performances from children—non-actors and actual orphans. But as a storyteller, when he makes a proposition, you need to close the deal and this time Kravchuk pulls up just a bit short. n