Kolya on AllMovie

In this moving and sometimes humorous drama, a Czech musician's life changes dramatically when he finds his Russian-speaking estranged son suddenly foisted upon him. The tale is set in Czechoslovakia just prior to and during the 1989 Velvet Revolution that marked the end of communism in that country. Frantisek Louka plays cello with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra until he angers a communist official and is fired. He then begins making his living playing at funerals. His resulting poverty becomes a problem when he finds but cannot afford his dream car. His debts also pile up alarmingly. Louka was always a playboy who avoided marriage until he met Nadezda, a Russian woman who wanted to become a Czech citizen. A friend offers to pay Louka to marry her. After the ceremony, he buys the car while Nadezda goes off to live her own life. Five years pass with no word, until one day Nadezda vanishes into West Germany, leaving her five-year-old son Kolya with his grandmother. Kolya comes to Louka after the grandmother falls seriously ill. A child is the last thing Louka wanted or expected. Kolya senses this. That neither speaks the other's language also presents problems, but as time passes and Louka becomes increasingly unsuccessful at getting rid of Kolya, the two begin bonding. But then the police show up to interrogate Louka about his marriage to Nadezda. They threaten to take the boy as does the social service. The two survive that, but with the arrival of the Velvet Revolution comes the return of Nadezda who wants Kolya back. From there the story ends on a bittersweet note.