Vitus (film)

Vitus is a drama film written and directed by Fredi M. Murer. It was released on 2 February 2006 in Switzerland. It stars real-life piano prodigy Teo Gheorghiu, Bruno Ganz, Julika Jenkins, and Urs Jucker. The film was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 79th Academy Awards, making the January shortlist.

Plot
Vitus, played by Teo Gheorghiu, is a highly gifted pianist at the age of 12. His parents mean well, but are over-protective, so Vitus rebels and seeks refuge with his grandfather (Bruno Ganz), who loves flying. After faking a head injury, Vitus secretly amasses a fortune on the stock market. The money allows his grandfather to purchase a Pilatus PC-6 and his father to return triumphantly to the company that fired him. Vitus pursues his former babysitter, Isabel, but she prefers someone older and does not return his affections.

Vitus returns to his piano and performs Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto on stage with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.

Critical response
Western critics gave Vitus generally favorable reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 66% rating, based on reviews from 62 critics, and an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Though not highly original, Vitus is slightly redeemed by its charm and compelling performances". Metacritic rated the film 63 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".

Awards

 * Best Swiss Film of 2006 (Swiss Film Awards)