A Poignant Tale of a Man and a Boy

Last night we enjoyed a particularly poignant NetFlick. It was called Kolja, and it told the story of a Czech bass player who married a Russian woman for money and ended up without her but with her 5-year-old boy.

The languages, of course, were obtuse, a combination of Czech and Russian, and the story was set during the occupation of the country by the Russians in the ’80s. You get a glimpse of what was to come with a few references to Gorbachev and one recurring scene hammers home the point that they are under occupation…the constant passing of army trucks.

The little boy has no where else to go as his mother abandons him to an aunt who dies in the hospital. The 50-something bassist must make his bachelor pad kid friendly, and his Russian is weak. We see the evolution that moves slowly from distrust to love…symbolized by the boy’s reaching for the man’s hand as they cross the street together.

At one point the youngster greets Russian soldiers and chats them up…he is so happy to be able to speak Russian with somebody. Later he is read a story in Russian by the man’s friend, much to his delight. You realize how lonely it must be to not have anyone to speak to, only strange sounds coming at you from everyone.

Watching how the little guy grows on the older man is heart wrenching…as is the end where the lad reunites with his mother in Germany. But we are left with the knowledge that this old man has learned how to be a father and his pregnant girlfriend portends a happier day soon to come.