Amerikatsi
- 2022
- 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
3.3K
YOUR RATING
Charlie escapes the Armenian genocide as a boy by fleeing to the United States, but he returns as an adult and is arrested. He watches an Armenian couple from his prison cell, finally learni... Read allCharlie escapes the Armenian genocide as a boy by fleeing to the United States, but he returns as an adult and is arrested. He watches an Armenian couple from his prison cell, finally learning about his homeland.Charlie escapes the Armenian genocide as a boy by fleeing to the United States, but he returns as an adult and is arrested. He watches an Armenian couple from his prison cell, finally learning about his homeland.
- Director
- Writer
- Stars
- Awards
- 22 wins & 3 nominations total
Aram Novosardyan
- Babloyan
- (as Aram Navasardyan)
Karine Janjukazyan
- Vladlena
- (as Karine Janjughazyan)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Beautifully acted, sensitive and touching, this movie uses humor and pain to tell a a unique story of an Armenian Genocide survivor. Michael Goorjian is tremendously talented as star, writer, director. His tearful eyes are the heart of this movie. His acting is tremendous, worthy of an Oscar nomination. I hope he becomes a household name in Hollywood. He deserves it! Everyone should be able to appreciate this wonderful story, but as an Armenian, I am so proud of this beautiful film! Loved all the many references showing Mt. Ararat as the symbol of the strength and beauty of the Armenian people.
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.
"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...
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...
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.
This touching emotive picture proves that we still have not used up topics and themes focused on the life in the communist era based on real events, because Amerikatsi comes with a pleasant and quite fresh new take on this genre. Instead of showing the events of this film in a serious dramatic way, Amerikatsi managed to take a much lighter route, which still feels deep and profound, but offers more subtle and gentle way to show the hardship of the communist regime in Europe. Even though the story takes place in Armenia the plot could seem somehow familiar to many who were born in Eastern Europe and their nation used to belong to the Soviet Union, so in that sense it is quite a relatable picture that the viewers could connect with. I also loved how Amerikatsi did not try to be a big succesful Holywood movie and opted for much more intimate approach instead. Overall I was very pleased with this picture and in the end actually a bit moved.
Did you know
- TriviaOfficial submission by Armenia for the Best International Feature Film category at the 96th Academy Awards (2024).
- How long is Amerikatsi?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $409,476
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $56,584
- Sep 10, 2023
- Gross worldwide
- $427,324
- Runtime
- 2h 1m(121 min)
- Color
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