by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
A Rated PG 123 min
Rarely is a true genius born whose IQ is off the scale. This is the story of Vitus (pronounced Veetus), a gifted child with across-the-board genius like Mozart. Shot in Switzerland in Swiss-German with English subtitles, it features an international cast. The scenario avoids the typical wunderkind cliches. It focuses on the boy’s early coming of age and how he helps his parents and beloved grandfather as the surreptitious head of the family
Not only is Vitus way above average in every way, but he is fiercely independent and, at 12-years old, he rebels against his mother’s niggling pressure for him to excel at piano. As a baby, he could play melodies on a piano by ear. By 12, he was already an accomplished virtuoso, but he was also gifted in many other disciplines, such as math and business finance.
The film is engaging as it builds momentum through its twists and turns. As Vitus schemes to solve his family’s problems, he is secretly practicing to emerge the world’s greatest pianist. Vitus is a special case, in that his parents have underestimated his genius. He is much smarter than his teachers at his school, and eventually, the school asks him to leave because his teachers refuse to have him in their class.
So he goes to the university at age 12 and finds out he doesn’t fit into that world either. His Mom is always on his case to practice. But Vitus escapes to his grandfather’s house where he learns about being a pilot through his grandfather’s interest in aviation. One day, Vitus locks his Mom out of the house so he can have some peace of mind. To break free of his Mom’s oppression, Vitus concocts a plan to feign having a head injury, which results in him losing his genius and having only normal intelligence. He fools everyone and only tells his grandfather his big secret.
During this “normal” period, his parents are sad about the loss, but happy Vitus didn’t die in his escapade of flying off the roof with wings he had designed. Yes, this kid is adult-smart and quite a little schemer. His father’s company is in financial trouble because of the CEO’s nefarious dealings to make himself rich. Vitus’ dad fears he will be fired.
To help his father, Vitus gets his grandfather to sign a power-of-attorney document to allow him to be the mysterious Dr. Wolf and gain access to his grandfather’s bank account. Using his financial smarts, Vitus plays the stock market and suddenly his grandfather is a millionaire. Then, Vitus rents a roomy practice flat so he can work on his advanced piano pieces away from his family.
Now Vitus is running his grandfather’s accounts and working with a mole inside his dad’s company to eventually takeover the company. The mole has no idea she’s working with a child. The story shows how Vitus’ extraordinary brain allowed him to make a quantum leap in maturity and real life wisdom. At this point in the story, his parents are clueless, but wonder where he got the expensive suits he has been wearing. Mom is frustrated because Vitus is so much slower at learning his piano lessons than he was before the accident. Of course, the kid is laughing under his breath at his grand deception.
Vitus’ problems involved dealing with the child’s world into which he was forced. His mind and emotional level were on an adult level, but his body had to catch up. When he had a baby sitter, he fell in love with her at age 6. Now twice that age, he sees her at a music store and asks her out on a date. She is flattered but he wants to have a real relationship with her and gives her a ring. When she sees he’s serious, she is embarrassed and leaves. Poor Vitus, he’s a super-intelligent adult trapped in a kids’ body.
When Vitus’ grandfather dies, he sets in motion a shocking series of events that right a terrible wrong, which is a most satisfying resolution, giving the viewer a sense of happiness and love for this special boy.
Skillfully directed by Swedish filmmaker Fredi Murer, the scenario is a joyous journey for the audience to experience this wonderful fantasy tale. Julia Jenkins, an English actress speaking Swiss-German with intermittent English, is a standout as Vitus’ longsuffering mom. Despite his trickery, Vitus had his parents’ wellbeing in mind and dearly loved his grandfather.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
