Notes from the New World

I had the opportunity to watch ''Notes '' (private screening) and I was really impressed.Honestly, there is a lot of our society that can be seen in this movie. It shows how people can be really alike in spite of their differences. It also helps to realize that the world has not changed that much.It reveals the deep feelings that we all hide. It shows the power of choice in life, and how it is hard to be who we want to be when the past is all we know. I really enjoyed this movie, because I could relate to what we see in society, and how opposite worlds meet each other.It has opened my perspective. It has helped me to see beyond the surface, and the often judgements we see everyday. After all, regarding our professions we are just humans trying to find our own place in this world.

I happened to see Notes From The New World some time ago when I visited Athens, Greece and was invited by a friend (a long time Dostoevsky fan) to make a short journey to a film festival in Corinth … I do recall that I was pleasantly surprised by liking the film so much. It was a clever, modern American adaptation of a European classic book with an intriguing plot where nothing is what it seems like at first. Back home I thought about this movie from time to time… There was some good acting and production design – especially the use of colors (particularly red – in different combinations) but more importantly I felt an enigma in it that I couldn't explain. So I've decided to read Notes From The Underground by Dostoevsky but couldn't manage to finish the book… I stopped in the middle then and returned to it just recently when I got a virus (probably in the gym) and fell sick and spent about a week in bed. Somehow I returned to the reading of "Notes"" and this time was fascinated by the book. Evidently, it was easier to watch this film than to read (for the first time!..) the source (Dostoevsky's book) but after reading the book I thought that I understood the film better – it had the same depth of feelings representing a rich and complex picture of the absurdity and pleasure of our existence and therefore the movie was faithful to the book in this sense. That's how I recalled the nice time I spent in Greece with a friend and I recalled the movie that we both liked… I was curious to know what happened with it so I googled it on my laptop and found this page and decided to leave a note about my feelings. Unfortunately – while using Google again I couldn't locate a DVD of this film. Apparently the movie wasn't released yet. Will wait.

I've had an opportunity to attend the private screening for this film. "She is like a firework or a bomb!" - This is my first impression of Sonia, one of the lead characters of the story (she's characterized as "angel" on the movie home page – www.notesthemovie.com) because she is not only beautiful but also unpredictable like terrorism. She causes the deaths of many people in Notes from the New World's story.

For Steven, Sonia indeed may be a girl who combines in herself the qualities of mother and "femme fatale" or should I also say "love and terrorism". Is this is why she is a sort of a special "angel" for him? I must say that I do worry a little bit about Steven when he starts again his life with Sonia. So, the ending theme is very meaningful.

As of this writing, I think we don't need to live underground to isolate ourselves. All we have to do is have cell phones. And indeed – now we could find many tweets from different Steven-alike guys on the internet.

This genre-straddling film is about both the past and the modern things.

I saw the rough cut of the film some time ago. It was a private screening for the industry guys in the sound mixing studio, in LA. Recently I've watched the completed film at the Marbella Film Festival, Costa Del Sol, in Spain. The movie considerably improved - honestly, I didn't expect the final version of the film to capture the essence of Dostoevsky this good.

I'm glad to have seen the general idea of "Notes From The New World" being manifested successfully in the modern times and in a place like Los Angeles. The acting was surprisingly good and the build up of the suspense left me wondering what would happen after every scene. The scenery and cinematography were pleasing to my eyes.

We don't get to see these kinds of films very often and I hope the director Vitaly Sumin has more projects on his plate. Overall, it was a delightful experience for me!

This movie is what the art of film is all about. It doesn't just present a famous literary tale--it refracts it through the prism of the camera lens. There have been several other attempts to present modern renditions of Dostoevsky's famous "Notes from the Underground," but this movie takes it far beyond that. It's a story within a story within a story. After a stunning opening shot of Los Angeles seen from underground (the metro station), we're exposed to the amazing sight of none other than Dostoevsky himself, beard and all, tromping through the streets of Los Angeles. But as it turns out, it's not really Dostoevsky; it's an intense young guy portraying him. And what's driving this dude? Ah, there the plot thickens. Let's just say it's a world of competing agendas, of boxes hidden inside other boxes. This is one of those films that would take far too much time to describe; it just has to be experienced.