The Thief

The marketing folk are working overtime to sell this Russian Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee as a sort of Kolya II (”He’ll steal your heart!” chirps the box copy, though the title in no way refers to the big-eyed cherub on the cover), but heartwarming The Thief decidedly isn’t. On the contrary, it’s a punishingly dour tale of dreams dismantled as a 6-year-old boy discovers the dispiriting truth about the army deserter who’s dating his mom. Skillfully made, but monotonously glum. B-