Amerikatsi

I just finished watching Amerikatsi & felt compelled to immediately write a review. This is the best film I've seen all year. Michael Goorjian's performance was Oscar-worthy. Truly spectacular! The storyline was so touching - we all got emotional. Armenians have collectively been in mourning since the 2020 Karabagh war but this film gives us a healthy distraction from the trauma & reminds us that even though we've gone through endless hardships, we always persevere & never lose hope. This is a movie for everyone, not just Armenians. It's a movie that all your family & friends can enjoy, regardless of skin color or religious background. Amerikatsi will leave a mark on your heart.

I just finished watching this movie with my husband and I have no words. Truly magnificent! I felt so many emotions. It was so beautifully done that the same scene that made me sad turned into humor and laughter the next minute. And the way the main character looked out the window from his prison cell and learned about his culture was so cleverly done. Amazing acting, beautiful costumes, clever lines. I highly recommend this movie and already told so many of my friends to watch this. My parents would definitely enjoy this movie as well considering they grew up in the Soviet Union up to the point it collapsed.

Poignant film, especially now with the usual geopolitical issues going on in Armenia. A quiet, charming movie. It's been a while since I've seen something like this. No super heros in sight! There's an underlying sense of longing and the observations from his window are very telling. Interesting way of storytelling and filmmaking. I think a lot of Armenians in the diaspora can relate but the film speaks to people who have curiosity of places they've never been, which seems completely counterintuitive but I think a lot of viewers can identify with the themes in this movie. While it's not available at the average neighborhood cineplex, it's worth seeking out.

"Americatsi" is a triumph of human spirit over the ugliness and brutality of the dark side.

In a world that the "regime" under the pretense of "good for all" crushes every attempt for happiness by Charlie (our naive hero), and tries to to punish his spirit in every possible way, he keeps on fighting even when he has nothing to fight with other than his smile.

Of course the regime can not enforce its evil without help from its agents: ... some agents are complete evil (like the buractrat woman in the pison) ... some are partly evil (like the warden who does a good balancing act, who tries to pepper his wrongs with some good deeds) ... some know they are pawns in the game and try their best to avoid helping evil (like the prison guard who brings food for Charlie) ... some are innocent souls stuck in that hell (like Tigran the guard at the tower); he is a kind soul that suffers the most...much more than Charlie. Tigran's suffering gets exasperated when he gets a macabre reward.

At the end, Stalin the invisible antagonist who is personification of evil, is dead; though the game goes on, perhaps forever.

Our naieve hero, Charlie, knows that but he does not care; he knows that nothing can steal his spirit away and he will always have that magical weapon with him.

"Americatsi" is a simple story about a simple man... but it tells a graet story about the spirit of mankind...

This film is easily one of my favourites this year. The casting is spot on and the film showcases its story in a way that doesn't make you feel like you're watching it, more like you're breathing it. Particularly being an individual who grew up in a post Soviet state the nostalgia and the experience feels like it was my own. I was excited to see this movie when it was originally announced and it did not disappoint by any means. The exploration of trauma and freedom is one of my favourite aspects of this film and I imagine that anyone watching this film can connect deeply with those feelings. Can't wait to watch it again soon.