Pismo do Amerika

I have been very eager to see the film as it is a rather rare occasion to have a new Bulgarian movie made in the past decade. I liked it though not of patriotic feelings only. I think that it has something very important for every film - a story line, and if you're a Bulgarian you'll know what I mean - our directors usually "forget" about the story line and crave to make great philosophic observations about life as such, immortality, etc. instead. Do they succeed - that's another question. I'm not sure that the title is the most proper choice for I felt the film rather carries a message to us, Bulgarians and not to Americans.

The acting is quite good - the film features some of the best actors of the new Bulgarian generation - Ana Papadopulu and Filip Avramov are famous theatre actors and Peter Antonov has an impressive acting experience in theatre and films as well. What I think will be most interesting to foreign viewers is perhaps the traditional Bulgarian music and the genuine feeling of authenticity which the director plausibly creates.

I saw this movie in the international festival here in São Paulo. A travel showing a lot of beautiful places and faces you won't forget. I really loved it, specially the landscapes. Beautiful ***** of *****

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.

What a touching movie! This film will take you on a trip through a beautiful country: Bulgaria. Somehow a forgotten place in Europa. The film shows the ancient culture and beautiful scenery. The acting is superb and the situations often authentic.

"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...