Boys will be boys, even when they can play piano like Mozart and chess like Bobby Fischer. So what's a parent to do?
"Vitus" (pronounced "vee-tus") considers the matter with both seriousness and levity. It's a fictional tale of a prodigy, but it's a story that has resonance outside the walls of the movie theater.
Despite all advice to the contrary, more and more parents are trying to live their dreams through their children's efforts in music, sports and academia. The pressure mounts.
Vitus von Holzen (Fabrizio Borsani) starts feeling that stress by the time he's 6. He's already playing the piano masterfully, reading the dictionary for fun and frightening classmates with lectures on global warming. Vitus' parents, Helen (Julika Jenkins) and Leo (Urs Jucker), want to keep him in a regular school so he won't feel like a freak. But they can't resist having him show off for dinner-party guests at their Zurich flat.
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Helen quits her job so she can protect Vitus from distractions. Leo, who has invented a revolutionary hearing aid, spends long hours at work trying to prove his own worth and fondly seems to regard his son as another of his inventions.
Only Leo's widowed father (Bruno Ganz) treats Vitus like a kid and nurtures his imagination and sense of fun. As a boy, Grandfather dreamed of being a pilot; he sees no reason why Vitus shouldn't do what he wants, no matter what his talent is.
By age 12, Vitus (Teo Gheorghiu) has developed a huge resentment toward the burden of his gifts. He takes drastic measures to make sure the path he chooses in life is his own.
"Vitus" requires some indulgence as it changes tones abruptly. Its drama can be sweet or coated in bile; its comedy comes from situations and wry dialogue. Director Fredi M. Murer, who wrote the screenplay with Peter Luisi and Lukas B. Suter, makes the film as unpredictable as a child's fantasy life— and sometimes as implausible.
The constant is fine acting, especially from the endearing Ganz ("Downfall," "Wings of Desire") and the young actors playing Vitus. The real-life prodigies are naturals on the screen, and their keyboard skills give the film credibility.
Murer clearly sides with his young protagonist, as well he should, and makes him a lovable rebel. Vitus' interactions with his teachers may make actual teachers squirm.
But it's all for a good cause. No matter how gifted a child is, "Vitus" says, he (or she) will start out in life with a huge advantage having the gift of loving, accepting parents.
Review
Vitus
***
• Rated: PG for mild thematic elements and language.
• Cast: Fabrizio Borsani, Teo Gheorghiu, Julika Jenkins.
• Director: Fredi M. Murer.
• Family call: Fine for families.
• Et cetera: In English and Swiss German, with subtitles.
• Running time: 100 minutes.
