The Italian Review
Posted by Chad Webb on 01.22.2007
Mix Annie and Oliver Twist efficiently, and you have The Italian.
Kolya Spiridonov: Vanya Solnstev
Denis Moiseenko: Kolyan
Sasha Sirotkin: Sery
Andrei Yelizarov: Timokha
Vladimir Shipov: Bloke
Polina Vorobieva: Nataha
Olga Shuvalova: Irka
Dima Zemlyanko: Anton
Mariya Kuznetsova: Madam
Directed By: Andrei Kravchuk
Written By: Andrei Romanov
Release Date: January 19, 2007
Running Time: 97 minutes
Rated PG-13 for some violence, sexual content, language and thematic issues
My girlfriend’s aunt and uncle have traveled to Russia twice now to adopt babies, one girl and one boy. They are a wealthy family, and it is no secret that adopting a child from a foreign country is not cheap. I have viewed various pictures of their vacations to welcome the infant into their family, but had always been curious as to how the whole process really works over there today. Director Andrei Kravchuk’s Italianetz (The Italian) takes a profound dive into this universe with an agonizing depiction of life in one orphanage. While the film, based on a true story, touches our hearts, it is far from a masterpiece. The Charles Dickens qualities are not invisible.
The time and setting for our tale is 2002 Russia. A small boy named Vanya (Kolya Spiridonov) is abandoned in a dilapidated orphanage. His luck soon changes when an Italian couple visits and decides to adopt him. Vanya must wait until the paperwork is in order before he begins living with them. During this time, a mother returns after years of discarding her own child to the same orphanage. The woman is ordered to leave since that particular child has already been adopted and moved away months ago. This incident spurs Vanya to commence a search for his own mother. After learning of his personal records that are locked away in a safe, Vanya starts his quest for locating the woman who dumped him so many years ago. With the help of a young prostitute named Irka (Olga Shuvalova), a determined Vanya flees the orphanage with the brokers close on his tail.
Kolya Spiridonov portrays the main child, Vanya, and thankfully he is not excessively cute to the extent that it distracts the audience from the weight of the subject matter. His sole appearance is secondary to the significance of his situation. The eyes on the orphans are what make a lasting impression here. As one of the older girls proceeds to read all the boys a story of Winnie the Pooh, the camera pans over each bunk bed, and each pair of eyes, and in that powerful moment, the heartbreak and importance of the current crisis in Russia is recognized in full.
The people that run the home are not predictably cruel or harsh. The Italian evokes the realities of each character. A woman referred to as Madam remains extremely cautious when it comes to the sales of the children. She is chauffeured around by her minion known as Sery, and is basically the top dog of the establishment. Meanwhile, she signs the paychecks of the headmaster, a drunken old man who has absolutely no control over the kids. The adolescents effortlessly take advantage of any speck of authority he attempts to dish out. A teenage orphan named Kolyan rules the property with an iron fist, and punishes any kid who defies him. His gang resembles a mob more than anything else, as any funds from cleaning headlights at the gas station to acts done by the prostitute are delivered directly to him.
The vision that Andrei Kravchuk has crafted is literally a miniature world within a world of contemporary Russia. He leisurely explores the various areas of the country from the wide open countryside to the ramshackle buildings in town with touching candor. One of the film's primary strengths is the fact that it never panders or begs for sympathy. The emotion viewers experience is genuine, authentic, and just as distressingly realistic as the plot. For the first hour, Kravchuk does not command our attention, but he gently requests it. At the turning point however, the entire film goes into hyperdrive, and becomes a chaotic chase movie. The inflated last portion seems too desperate for our awareness, except for the very last minutes, which were expertly executed.
The Italian, although oddly titled, has hints of Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows in that it captures how youths are misunderstood greatly when they are left without care. The exceptionally austere, gloomy, and somber mood of Russia is the most mesmerizing aspect of this story. This does not exploit, judge, or attack this disconcerting practice. Without striving to be exaggeratedly artistic, or ripping at our heartstrings, the film lands firmly as a passable piece of foreign cinema.
The 411: The Italian is a severe, accurate, and painful depiction of buying and selling orphans in modern day Russia. The acting is all fairly solid by the cast. While the concluding half is much more suspenseful and exciting, it hurts the tension and poignancy of the first half. It feels tacked on, and does not appear to fit smoothly. I enjoyed this film to a point, and it is worth watching once, but not more than that. It is currently in a limited release, and will likely not expand anywhere. If I were you, I would wait for the rental.
