Vitus - 2006

[Nude_not_rude]

Just had the happy fortune of stumbling across this film on SBS Television Australia. I did miss the start as I didn't know it was going to be on, but what can you do. Luckily there was a scene of young Teo Gheorghiu at the piano when I first caught it or I may not have watched it. I'm so glad I did.

Synopsis from the films website:-

Vitus is a boy who almost seems to be from another planet: he has hearing like a bat, he plays piano like a virtuoso and studies encyclopaedias at the age of five. It is no wonder his parents begin to anticipate a brilliant future for him. They want Vitus to become a pianist. However, the child prodigy prefers to play in his eccentric grandfather's workshop. He dreams of flying and of a normal childhood. Ultimately, with one dramatic leap, Vitus takes control of his own life.

Here's a review on it from here http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/vitus/

Director Fredi M. Murer’s moving film VITUS was Switzerland’s official 2006 Academy Awards entry for Best Foreign Language Film and was one of the most successful Swiss films of 2006. VITUS introduces us to an incredibly talented young pianist and actor, Teo Gheorghiu. The film also stars the renowned Bruno Ganz, Julika Jenkins and Urs Jucker. By the age of 12, Vitus (played by real-life piano prodigy Teo Gheorghiu) is a highly gifted musician whose parents have high hopes for him in a career as a classical pianist. The daily pressure of hours of musical practice, his over-protective but well-meaning mother (Julika Jenkins) and his father’s (Urs Jucker) precarious financial situation lead the boy to seek refuge at his eccentric grandfather’s (Bruno Ganz) house.

My Review- well for the parts I saw, I'd give it 4 stars. Sure any parent would have better tabs on their 12y/o son than these did, but whatever. Not knowing who the lead actor was, I was pleasantly surprised that he seemed to be actually playing the piano and not just acting. Bruno Ganz was the most believable character in the acting department. It was a little off-putting when the mother (Julia Jenkins) occasionally slipped into speaking English for no apparent reason, then back into Swiss-German without anyone on screen seeming to notice. Perhaps there was something in the beginning I missed? Obviously I loved the music, being that he played Bach, Ravel, Liszt, Schumann and so-on. I love what he gets up to at his grandfather's place and the special relationship they have.

Do yourself a favour and check out the website vitus and look up Teo Gheorghiu on Youtube. Certainly a guy to watch in the future.