I am trying to remember the name of a foreign film that I saw about four or five years ago (and I’m pretty sure it was released around that time).
*It is an Eastern European film, probably either Russian or Polish.
*It shows the trials and tribulations of a boy (I think in his early teens) whose grandmother - his only caregiver - died and he was left to fend by himself.
*He is abused by a priest at some point in the film
*There is a scene showing said priest falling into a pit crawling with rats.
I won’t give it a bullet point because I’m not sure, but I do seem to remember the movie being in black and white.
Although it may sound like it, it is definitely not based on a book by Jerzy Kosiński.
Every single thing you mentioned is in “The Painted Bird” including the priest falling into a pit of rats. I know you keep saying this isn’t the film but are you actually certain of that? It fits 100% what you are looking for.
Yet, I have absolutely no recollection of Harvey Keitel, Barry Pepper, or Stellan Skarsgard, all of whom I know well and enjoy watching on screen. And, having just watched the (unsettling) trailer, I see that the young protagonist is Jewish. As a member of the tribe myself, that’s something I am more than surprised I can’t remember.
It’s also humbling to be so wrong when I also have read both the Painted Bird (and Steps) so am more than familiar with the story (although, in fairness, that was almost half a century ago).
I’ll blame it on some combination of getting old and decrepit, and on my country Canada’s legalization of cannabis not too long before the movie was released!
)