Andrey Kravchuk – Italyanets AKA The Italian (2005)

adminDecember 28, 2021

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Synopsis:
Six-year-old Vanya Solntsev lives in a desolate and rundown orphanage run by an alcoholic headmaster. When a wealthy Italian couple wanting to adopt selects him, the other children, especially his good friend, Anton, envy his fortune and name him The Italian. However, when a grief-stricken mother of another boy commits suicide after returning to reclaim her son and discovering he is no longer there, Vanya fears the same fate looms for him. With the aid of some of the older boys, he retrieves his file from the office safe and learns the address of the children’s home where he previously lived. Certain the records there will identify his mother, he sets off on his quest with the help of an older girl.

Pursuing him by car as he travels by train is the corrupt go-between, who brokered his remunerative adoption, and her driver, Grisha. Upon arriving in the town where the children’s home is located, Vanya is attacked by the homeless boys, but escapes and finds a bus that will take him to his destination. There he is confronted by Grisha but manages to elude him and make contact with the night watchman of the home, who gives him his mother’s address. Once again Grisha catches up with him, but when he realizes how determined Vanya is, lets him go. The boy is reunited with his mother. Through a letter Vanya wrote to Anton, who was adopted by the Italian couple instead, we learn Vanya is happy to be living with his mother in Russia.