The Letter Writer

This elegant film by writer-director Christian Vuissa conveys a fundamental principle of spiritual enlightenment that transcends theological dogma. If you are seeking a purpose driven life, you will find value in this piece.

The teenage protagonist negotiates the rough waters of female adolescence with the unorthodox guidance of an aging mentor. She realizes ethical and moral truths by observing his consistent practices of selfless giving. Embracing these tenants in her daily life opens the door to her personal fulfillment.

This is more of a coming to enlightenment than a coming of age film. The presentation is generally nonsectarian, and should be appropriate for viewers of any religious persuasion, and particularly those of no religious persuasion.

Lead actress Aley Underwood ("Maggy") plays a troubled teen in a world where everything has gone wrong for her: a father who never cared, a boyfriend that breaks up with her to be with her best friend, a band that steals her song (that the best friend sings), getting caught cheating on the math test, getting caught stealing from her mother. But one good thing in Maggy's life is a letter she receives out of the blue that lifts her spirit.

This is the "inciting incident." Aley Underwood carries the entire movie. She shows a great deal of charm and vulnerability (and a strong resemblance to a young Katie Holmes), but she cannot save what amounts to a vanity production. Writer/director/composer/producer Christian Vuissa created something that might have been mildly entertaining for his church group, but as a feature, it fails across the board.

The first thing we noticed is that the sound was not mixed well. That did not bode well for as far as we got, which was about fifty-percent of the film. Next, the dialogue is cliched and stilted and on-the-nose. I felt bad, especially for Aley, that she had to speak in such an unnatural way.

Although the idea is very sweet -- that some elderly man in a seniors' home (Bernie Diamond, looking ancient) writes letters to strangers every day to uplift their spirits, and that somehow one of these letters reaches Maggy and changes her life -- we also have to endure what Christian must imagine to be hit songs sung by Maggy and her questionable band. The first hour is a slog. The last forty minutes have a few tender moments and again, Aley carries the entire production on her young back.

It seems that Aley did not really pursue her career, which is kind of sad. With her smoky eyes, Hollywood smile, and charm and sparkle, she could have carved out a career for herself. At the same time, if these were the type of scripts coming her way, she may have packed up her tent and fled for the hills.

Could have been so much better.

One of the Best TV Movie Ever.Well directed Heart touching movie. I loved this so much. These kind of little gems are hard to find and rare. Very exemplary, meaningful, Soul-Bonding,realistic & Emotional movie. This film made me cry. The young girl (Maggie) did a wonderful job. She is very talented girl. All other actors also did a wonderful job to this movie. The writer of the movie is also did a great job. This movie is teaches us that how to overcome the life struggles, how to heal the others hearts...etc. This movie is suit for everyone(Kids also). A must see film.

You watch lots and lots of movies, sometimes you look for good action, drama and even a good horror flick, but once in a while you come across a movie by chance that has the ability to touch in such loving way that you would have not imagined before pressing that Play button. The movie story begins when a rebellious young girl receives a heartwarming letter from an unknown source and the changes which follows in her life and people around her thereafter. THIS IS NOT A COMING OF AGE FILM BUT IS AN SPIRITUAL (non-religious) AWAKING FILM. The beauty of this film lies in its simplicity and its scripted in such gentle way that is very or may even impossible to find any pretentious message in the film. Its centers on how words can heal or hurt people and how we are carelessly use them among one another. It reminds us the power of receiving a hand written letter from a friend or family member in a way that no email, text, or twitter message can begin to encompass.

You will be hard not to cry in several scenes in this movie. I honestly believe this was a labor of love and all were involve in this project must have been touched personally.

There is no violence, vulgarity, etc. in this film and people of all ages can enjoy this movie. Highly recommend if you want a wonderful lullaby of a film

Wow, what beautiful uplifting and thoughtful education of how to be kind and worthy and live a life to be proud of how you treat others. Very worthwhile movie to watch. Aley Underwood realy shines and her voice is angelic. She is very believable character and her coming of age realization of learning how to treat others and make a positive difference in life. Bernie Diamond plays a great teacher of life's lessons passing onto younger generations of how to be kind and worthy. In this day of negativity and hatred, this movie really resonates of what society needs to learn. I highly recommend this movie and how Aley continues her journey.