Kolya

Set in Prague near the end of the communist era, Kolya centres on František Louka, a cellist who has lost his place in the city's philharmonic orchestra and now earns a living playing at crematorium funerals. Buried in debt, he agrees to a marriage of convenience with a Russian woman who needs Czech papers; in exchange, money changes hands. The arrangement collapses when she leaves the country for Germany, and the five-year-old boy she leaves behind, Kolya, ends up in Louka's care. Neither speaks the other's language, and the two must find a way to live together.

Jan Svěrák directed the film, from a screenplay by Zdeněk Svěrák, who also plays Louka. Andrei Khalimon plays the boy, with Libuše Šafránková, Ondřej Vetchý, Stella Zázvorková and Ladislav Smoljak in supporting roles. Made for about one million dollars, it took roughly eight times that amount at the worldwide box office, a strong return for a Czech-language production. Kolya was the first of four features Svěrák is credited with directing in the facts, ahead of Empties, Three Brothers and Five plums.

Reception has been warm across the board. On IMDb it holds 7.7/10 from around 17,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.4/10 from far fewer, about 221. Critics rated it 8/10 from 25 reviews, slightly above what general audiences scored.