At any country there are orphans waiting for adoption, living in a rundown orphanage, manipulated by adults, and try to find their identity. Using Neo-realist approach, where the movie was simple but touching, Andrei Kravchuk showed Russia landscape at the cold winter, a shabby orphanage, slum housing, and plain clothes.
Vanya (Kolya Spiridonov) is a six years-old child who lives in a shabby orphanage where the older residents have bleak job. However this time Vanya gets a little ‘luck’, he will be adopted by parents from Italy. In this ‘transaction’, the liaison, Madam (Mariya Kuznetsova), and the headmaster of the orphanage will get big commission.
But when a woman who had ever left her son in this orphanage comes looking for her son (her child was Vanya’s friend who has been adopted by other family), Vanya has a desire to find his mother, he is afraid if he goes to Italy, his mother won’t be able to meet him.
With the help of another kid from the orphanage, Vanya steals documents from the headmaster’s office and then runs away to a big city to find his mother based on information in that documents. Vanya starts his adventure to find his mother; he should avoid the pursuit of madam who’s angry because if Vanya is missing, then her commission will also disappear. Besides that, Vanya has to struggle against the tough-live of big city, he should face the street kids who try to hurt him, and the worse Vanya doesn’t know the address where his mother lives, he’s only following his instinct that’s sure if his mother is still alive.
This movie wanted to criticize the adults who take advantage of adoption process of children from the orphanage. This movie also wanted to remind the children who live in a warm family to be grateful because there are many children who are not as fortunate as they are.
Kolya Spiridonov played as Vanya very well and natural, he has an amazing acting talent. This movie won the ‘Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk Grand Prix’ and ‘Glass Bear for Best Feature Film’ in the Berlin International Film Festival at 2005. Andrei Kravchuk won the CIFEJ Prize in Carrousel International du Film in Montreal.
Weekend Box Office Actuals (U.S.)
Feb 5 – 7 weekend
Dear John – Avatar – From Paris With Love – Edge of Darkness – Tooth Fairy – When in Rome – The Book of Eli – Crazy Heart – Legion – Sherlock Holmes.
Based on Yahoo Movies











