the italian

a russian film about a 6 year old boy
an orphan who is destined to be sold to an italian couple
hence his nickname and the title of the film
but he takes things into his own hands and escapes from the orphanage
and does a cross-country dash in search of his real mother
there is absolutely no mucking about here from the director
it's a very bleak, cold, sparse, miserable place that he is living
the film is in colour but there is none of that for a while
the only snatches of comfort are the occasional displays of decency
for while everyone seems despondent and verging on desperate
the innocence of the child brings out the best in most he encounters
his first ally in his escape is a young girl prostitute
who sacrifices herself in the hope our boy finds a better life
cleverly as soon as they are away the sun is out
and life in deep russia seems a bit more bearable
but he has to keep moving as his pursuers know his destination
he's on his own but he has watched and learnt fast
how to deal with the worst in people
and when it suits to bring out the best in people
no sledgehammer directing but that seems to be the theme
i found myself totally drawn into the story
my heart was with the boy and against those in pursuit
all the way through you just want a happy ending
but as usual and with what i particularly like about foreign films
that is not a given and anything is possible
the final scenes are quite harrowing
there's violence and self-harm and blood spilled
but also bad becomes good
and there's a rare smile at the end of it all
which probably coincided with my own expression
though the translation of the last spoken words needs concentration
and a bit of a think back to a brief scene earlier in the film
a great story of the worst and best in humanity