Life takes an unsuspecting twist for an orphaned boy in the heart wrenching Russian film “The Italian.”

In his directorial debut, Andrei Kravchuk profiles the existentialist plight of Vanya Solntsev (Kolya Spiridonov), a six-year-old in search of his biological mother.

Vanya’s unbridled desire to trace his roots ironically occurs after an affluent Italian couple adopts him.

He becomes the envy of his fellow compatriots as they dub him “The Italian.”

Vanya’s lifestyle switch is soon-to-be filled with warm weather, sun-kissed oranges and unconditional love but he can’t put knowing who and where he comes from to rest.

His first step is unlocking a file containing all relevant information including the address of his birth mother but he must overcome another obstacle – learning how to read.

He teams up with Irka, an under-aged prostitute who also lives at the orphanage.

She teaches him the basic literary principles.

As soon as Vanya is successful in learning the alphabet and snatching his file he escapes the orphanage and begins his quest.

Bravely moving forward amidst the unfamiliar terrain and intimidating characters he encounters, Vanya tries to avert his past as he’s chased by the Madam (Maria Kuznetsova) of the house and her entourage.

“The Italian” paints one real and unfortunate facet of Russian life – the forgotten faces of helpless orphans treated as pawns by the only adult authority they know.

Kravchuk digs to find the essence of these young unfortunate souls, who live an undeserving life, forced to engage in menial or self-degrading activities just barely skimming the surface of survival.

The screenplay is fluid combining rawness, honesty and despair heightening the viewer’s awareness about this social injustice.

Although an unseasoned actor, young Kolya Spiridonov lures viewers in with his tenacity, vulnerability and unmistakably charismatic looks.

The emotions Vanya trigger are palpable so much in fact that you want to reach out to him with a hot meal and comforting gesture.

Kravchuk addresses humanity’s intrinsic desire to know who and where you come from.

Young Vanya is the sparkling vessel that shows you how and why.

4*/5*