The Foster Boy

For 150 years, Swiss authorities took disadvantaged children from their homes and forced them to labor on farms. THE FOSTER BOY is set in 1950 in an Alpine village of breathtaking beauty that belies the cruelty of its inhabitants. Max, an orphaned teenager, is brought by a pastor to work for the Bösinger family. A miserable lot, they take his shoes away while he does chores. Bösinger is a drunkard; his wife is a bitter woman who makes Max sleep in the pigsty. A girl named Berteli arrives to work, and soon she and Max are plotting their escape. The kindly village schoolteacher encourages Max’s talent as an accordionist, fueling his dreams of a brighter tomorrow. But before he can imagine a future, he has to survive. Based on 100,000 true stories, THE FOSTER BOY is the most successful Swiss film in years, a gripping reminder that the nation was not always a land of milk and honey. (In Swiss-German with subtitles) – B.B.