AllMovie

Set during the late '80s when the Czech Republic saw the end to the Russian occupation, the Academy award-winning Kolya reflects this transitional period of political change through a tenderly personal story. Screenwriter and leading man Zdenek Sverak is handsome in a rough Sean Connery way, a fitting look for his middle-aged bachelor character, Louka. To add to the separation between the two, the lonely little boy Kolya (Andrei Khalimon) speaks only Russian, a language Louka refuses to learn to speak, yet the two develop a carefully honest kinship. Louka's independent routine is continually challenged by the political turmoil of the time, which is best demonstrated by his growing relationship with both Kolya and his helpful lady friend, Klara. His reluctance to change is transformed just as Czech citizens are getting adjusted to the end of Communism and accepting a new life. Directed by Sverak's own son, Jan, Kolya is a believably touching portrait of the unlikely friendship between an old swinger and a young boy.