The Stolen Children

• Enrico Lo Verso- Antonio
• Valentina Scali - Rosetta
• Giuseppe Ieracitano - Luciano
• Florence Darel - Martine
• Marina Golovine - Nathalie
• Fabio Alessandrini - Grignani
• Agostino Zumbo - priest
• Vincenzo Peluzo - carabineers
• Santo Santonocito - carabineers
• Vitalba Andrea Antonio's sister
• Massimo De Lorenzo - Papaleo
• Celeste Brancato - girls at dinner
• Renato Carpentieri - Chief of Police
• Maria Pia Di Giovanni mother of Rosetta and Luciano
• Lello Serao - prisoner

Stolen Children ( Il ladro di bambini ) is a film from 1992, directed by Gianni Amelio Italian.

General

Shown is the story of the Carabinieri Antonio and the two sisters Rosetta and Luciano after the mother of the two brothers was arrested because she forced into prostitution Rosetta. Antonio is to bring the siblings together with a colleague from Milan to Sicily, where they are brought up in a children's home. The colleague is made up from the road, the children's home refused to take charge of the siblings, Antonio can not inform his superiors, as the person has not complied with its obligations. Antonio brings the siblings in his native village, where he imagines his relatives as a colleague's children. At this time a conditional relationship of trust has been developed. Rosetta, the default is no good experiences with their past, opens up new perspectives when she learns that it also give people who want to do their only good. Luciano, who grew up without a father, Antonio found in a surrogate father. The triangular relationship is strained, however. Rosetta and Luciano do not see themselves connected to each other, the fate of the other is indifferent to them. Antonio tries to counteract this. Rosetta should mind Luciano, which she does well, but Luciano recognizes this only slightly, and Luciano was to help his sister to overcome her past. Rosetta is recognized as a former prostitute during a stay, and then makes an onward journey indispensable. Antonio is becoming a surrogate father, although he is erfahrungslos in such matters. The siblings will be given the opportunity to bring their childhood. Luciano learns to swim, Rosetta is the seemingly normal child. She meets two French tourists who are becoming ubiquitous companions this episode. As the tourists the camera is stolen, Antonio pursues the thief and to the latter. He is heard to being found out that he had actually had the mission to bring the children into a home. His superiors are notified Antonio must bring the children into a home. The film ends open. The viewer learns nothing about the fate of Antonio's, or children, nothing about the advance of the relationship.

Awards

• Grand Jury Prize, Cannes 1992
• European Film Award for Best Film 1992
• David di Donatello 1992 for Best Film and Best Director, as well as the best producers, the best cut and the best music
• Audience Award, Locarno 1992
• Nastro d' Argento 1993 for Best Film and Best Screenplay

Criticism

"The film tells his story with impressive simplicity and poetry. Due to the no-frills camera work, the empathetic music and the intense game of convincing protagonist is a small, quiet masterpiece was born. "

"The whole secret of the whole inner richness of this film is that Amelio unconditionally entrust themselves to the characters and their story: Sun, he discovers in it a beauty that hurts. "

" Amelio makes no cinema paradiso, he draws the hell on earth before. He shows himself conciliatory towards the damned. "