Letter to America

The very special in this film is the total openness towards us, the sincerity! We see those people in their world and they are not afraid to let us touch to their hearts in a something that to us might seem naivety. This sincerity and welcoming is something typical in the Balkans although it has been spoiled to a varying degree by the drive for modernisation and "Europeanisation" ever since the XIX. century. Yet it still bears its mark on the people here, and, in some spots it is preserved in its purest form! One of these we see in "Letter to America".

Although it is a feature film it feels like a documentary. Only the main characters in this story are actors. It is filmed with real people in real places that the author came upon in her search in the mountains. To a foreigner it might look as a fantasy, and the people we see are indeed living in magic and mysticism - but in their magic they are far more real than our civilisation!

You will see a lot of very old people who live by even older ways. I hope your soul will gain a little bit from experiencing this pagan-orthodox tradition where happiness, life and death are perceived in very different way from what we have become accustomed to.

One of the old heroines says to the main character, a visitor to the village just like the viewer, "I am not afraid of death! Why should I be afraid of death - I have made ready my newest and best dress! Here - come - I will show it to you! ...I am not afraid of death, I am afraid of people. Sometimes there are bad people..." These words reminded me about conversations with my own 92 years old grandmother.

"Letter to America" was a thoroughly discussed picture in the year 2000 in Bulgaria. The fact that this movie was our representative at the 2000 Oscar awards, made the discussion even more ardent. Naturally, we didn't even get a nominee for Best Foreign Movie.Why? Because this production is not fit for the international(not to mention the American) audience. The movie is strictly Bulgarian, filled with our culture and made for our people. The journey of one person deep into the mountains in search for remedy, perhaps even for his roots, is pictured very well, but delivered poorly. Bottom of the line- our cinema industry is doing as bad as ever. But perhaps we took a step in the right direction...

Letter to America is an interesting film to watch. What makes it worth seeing is the unique blend that its director applies to it. Iglika Trifonova is primarily a documentary director and her film certainly carries authentic feeling. The plot is simple and even touching. What is more important is that the film has a storyline to follow and it actually follows it. Those who are aware of recent Bulgarian films (not that we have many of them) will perhaps agree that our directors usually tend to make general philosophic conclusions that might be interesting to some scholars but not to the audiences. The actors make good try to fit in their roles, especially Phillip Avramov, a theatre actor. Peter Antonov, one of the famous new faces of Bulgarian cinema, makes a short but impressive role. Perhaps the most interesting aspects to the foreign audiences will be the traditional Bulgarian music and the ride through several picturesque villages of Bulgaria where the time seems to have stopped.

This film is a wonderful story (don't worry, no spoilers ahead). The images are so powerful, just the way the actors and actresses are filmed is adding to the beauty and shows the wonders as much as it shows the sordidness of life. If you have never seen this movie yet and want to watch it, I have one thing to say, pay attention to the way people and landscapes are filmed.

Just a word about the main character, Ivan: He is great and the rest of the cast, obviously local people, are just unbelievebly perfect and touching.

Some people said this movie's a 'must see', I say their right.

Letter to America. The name of the movie itself has an underlying message. A message, a sincere message to tell, i mean 'before all the bridges are burnt', American people, their government -or whatever it is- that the US should be aware of the life going on, whether they like it or not, on other places of the world, before they decide to bomb again... The scene is Bulgaria for this movie, but one can consider it as anywhere he likes on earth...

Movies are quite efficient communication channels between cultures. And, since the term 'communication' has two ways, i advice this movie especially to the American spectators, in return of the standard Hollywood movies we've been watching for years and years...