After Kolya won Best Foreign Language Film at both the Golden Globes and the Oscars, there was something of a backlash. The film was criticized for its lack of originality. After all, countless films have the plot device of a loveless adult forced to take responsibility for an adorable, helpless child.

Invariably, the adult is softened, 'made whole', and comes to love the child. The child is the cutest and sweetest boy imaginable. This may bring out parental urges in some, but the sarcastic might wish that the child throw tantrums, back talk, or break things, like normal kids do. Part of the reason why Paper Moon (1973) was so successful was that the character of the child was more complex. She was a better con artist than her father.

Criticism even came from the director's homeland, The Czech Republic, who complained that the film was deliberately patterned to appeal to the West. The setting is the 'Velvet Revolution' of 1989, which liberated the nation from Russian occupation. But this revolution takes place off camera. Compare this with an even better film set in Czechoslovakia, The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988). In that film, our protagonists are protesting in the streets, in defiance of Russian soldiers. In Kolya, the characters are passive, participating only by spreading rumors and listening to radio broadcasts.

Moralists may also criticize Kolya for its lead character. Louka (Zdenek Sverak) is a bachelor in his mid-fifties, who juggles multiple affairs with married women half his age. Early in the film, he humiliates a woman through sexual harassment, in a scene played for laughs. It seems odd, then, that she encourages this behavior the next time they meet. This discrepancy is partly cultural; in Europe, sexual harassment is considered playful, even expected. In America, it is currently regarded almost as a latent form of violence.

The surprise is that Kolya is such a strong film that it makes any criticism seem petty. This is one time that the Oscars got it right. Kolya may well be the best film of 1996, even better than the more celebrated films from that year (Fargo, The English Patient, Shine).

Since the story and characters are unremarkable, the quality of the film must come from its execution. Kolya is a family affair. Zdenek Sverak wrote the screenplay and plays the lead, while his son Jan Sverak produced and directed. The results are outstanding.

The best sequence occurs when Louka is visiting his elderly mother (Stella Zazvorkova), with the intention of dumping Kolya off on her. A stubborn woman, she hates the Russian occupiers, so Louka must lie to her about Kolya's nationality. His lie becomes obvious when Kolya eagerly converses with Russian soldiers. The mutual pleasure of Kolya and the soldiers shows their humanity. But it fails to charm the old woman, who rebukes her embarrassed son.

The script is full of warmth, humor and wry observations. The direction, cinematography and set design is exemplary. The acting is completely natural, with no fabricated dramatic confrontations or speeches. The score is classical, rich and fitting to the occupation of Louka, a professional cellist.

It doesn't matter if the story has been done before, and will be done again. How many films have used 'boy meets girl', or featured a hero getting revenge on oppressors. Few will complain of their redundancy, if the movie is very well made. And that is certainly the case with Kolya. (88/100)

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Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12