
The Italian
Seen it?2005 | 90 min | Drama
Why it’s a Saturday Special
Critics loved it (91% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite almost no lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who loves a strong drama.
- The mood
- Thoughtful and character-driven.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 30 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG-13: a parent's death or loss. Probably too much for younger kids.
- It's in Russian, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
Set in 2002, an abandoned 5-year-old boy living in a rundown orphanage in a small Russian village is adopted by an Italian family.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
91% on Rotten Tomatoes, 74 on Metacritic
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsWeak
0 wins and 1 nomination from smaller awards and festivals
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 3K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Andrei Kravchuk
- Kolya SpiridonovVanya Solntsev / Kolya Spiridonov
- Mariya KuznetsovaMadam
- Nikolay ReutovGrisha
- Denis MoiseenkoKolyan
- Sasha SirotkinSery
- Polina VorobevaNataha
- Olga ShuvalovaIrka
- Dima ZemlyankoAnton
- Rudolf KuldGuard
- Yuriy ItskovHeadmaster