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The Italian

Play trailer Poster for The Italian PG-13,  2007,  1h 37m,  Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 91% 92 Reviews Tomatometer 70% 25,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
91% Tomatometer 92 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Abandoned by his mother, 6-year-old Vanya lives in an orphanage run by a greedy woman and her cruel lover. Vanya decides to run away and find his mother after a wealthy Italian couple offer to buy him and after observing that the older children in the home survive by stealing or prostitution. He faces many dangers on his journey, including the pair at the orphanage who tried to sell him.
The Italian

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Poignant and unforgettable, The Italian stands out from other European melodramas. Like its extraordinary child lead, this Russian drama about an orphan's search for his birth mother is small in size and monumental in pathos.

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Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader Jul 14, 2022
The movie’s notable for its striking location photography, though the action is framed as both a play and a novel... Go to Full Review
Stella Papamichael BBC.com Jan 24, 2008
3/5
Even when Kravchuck lets the story drift, the boy is a solid anchor. Go to Full Review
David Jenkins Time Out Jan 24, 2008
4/6
Andrei Kravchuk's film is sensitive to the hilt and pleasingly attuned to the guileless outlook of its hero. Go to Full Review
Jonathan Kiefer Sacramento News & Review Aug 7, 2008
4/5
Robert Davis Paste Magazine Jun 9, 2008
With a tensed brow, Kolya Spiridonov plays a boy perpetually hovering between anxiety and dogged determination, and the film walks the same line, unsure about where it's going but always moving forward regardless. Go to Full Review
Matthew Turner ViewLondon Jan 25, 2008
4/5
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Audience Reviews

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Theodore P Jun 16, 2018 Andrei Kravchuk's engrossing Russian drama explores the world of international adoption.
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The Italian

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Cast & Crew

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Andrey Kravchuk

Director

Kolya Spiridonov

Vanya

Mariya Kuznetsova

Woman

Nikolai Reutov

Grisha

Denis Moiseenko

Koliyan

Sasha Sirotkin

Seriy

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The Italian

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Movie Info

Synopsis Abandoned by his mother, 6-year-old Vanya lives in an orphanage run by a greedy woman and her cruel lover. Vanya decides to run away and find his mother after a wealthy Italian couple offer to buy him and after observing that the older children in the home survive by stealing or prostitution. He faces many dangers on his journey, including the pair at the orphanage who tried to sell him.
Director
Andrey Kravchuk
Producer
Andrei Zertsalov
Screenwriter
Andrei Romanov
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Lenfilm Studio
Rating
PG-13 (Some Violence|Sexual Content|Language|Thematic Issues)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 19, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 15, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$552.5K
Runtime
1h 37m
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