A fatherless infant experiences a rough coming of age in 1950s-era Soviet Russia in Pavel Chukhraj’s bittersweet drama The Thief (1997). Born in a muddy field on the Russian steppe, Sanya (Misha Philipchuk) clings to his war-widowed mother even as she falls into romantic relationships with men that he frowns on. Eventually, however, Sanya comes to admire his stepfather––a macho army officer (Vladimir Mashkov … Become a Mr Skin Member and get the full review