A sadder state of affairs would be hard to imagine: the little "Italian," so flawlessly played by Kolya Spiridonov (which, ironically, sounds not unlike "spirit enough" in English), is beaten by an older, Artful Dodger-type when it's discovered that he wants to learn to read. His reason for wanting to learn to read is even sadder: he wants to find out who his real mother is, and where she lives (if she still does). He sits perched in a window, watching and waiting for her to return. Rumors abound among the children of the orphanage: kids are being adopted so that they can be "sold for spare parts." This "real Russia" is nothing if not frigid... at first glance. Upon closer examination, however, we find a deep and abiding warmth. The young girl who serves as "den mother" to the younger kids comes to "the Italian" after he has been beaten and hugs him wordlessly in what just may be one of the greatest, most beautiful moments in movie history. I highly recommend THE Italian.
Review of The Italian
