Letter to America is an interesting film to watch. What makes it worth seeing is the unique blend that its director applies to it. Iglika Trifonova is primarily a documentary director and her film certainly carries authentic feeling. The plot is simple and even touching. What is more important is that the film has a storyline to follow and it actually follows it. Those who are aware of recent Bulgarian films (not that we have many of them) will perhaps agree that our directors usually tend to make general philosophic conclusions that might be interesting to some scholars but not to the audiences. The actors make good try to fit in their roles, especially Phillip Avramov, a theatre actor. Peter Antonov, one of the famous new faces of Bulgarian cinema, makes a short but impressive role. Perhaps the most interesting aspects to the foreign audiences will be the traditional Bulgarian music and the ride through several picturesque villages of Bulgaria where the time seems to have stopped.
13 Reviews
Very authentic!
gospodinBezkrai7 June 2005
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.
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.
A must see!
McGyver28 August 2001
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.
The magic of Bulgaria
Pegg25 March 2003
I have seen this film on the festival called The Days of the European film and I was very surprised. This is so powerful, wonderful and amazing film!
It leads us to the small village in the middle of Bulgarian mountains. There is no civilization and traditions are still alive there. It shows Bulgarian grandmothers, who are as beautiful and wise as the Bulgarian mountains and woods all around. It puts the village with the grandmothers and Bulgarian nature in contrast with New York. And it tells us about young people from Bulgaria, who are emigrating to USA and to the West. So there are only old people now. And it asks: Who will lead Bulgaria in the future? Who will look after this old, beautiful and amazing country? Why don´t you in your homeland, young Bulgarian people?
This was my first Bulgarian film and I fell in love with Bulgaria after seeing it.
It leads us to the small village in the middle of Bulgarian mountains. There is no civilization and traditions are still alive there. It shows Bulgarian grandmothers, who are as beautiful and wise as the Bulgarian mountains and woods all around. It puts the village with the grandmothers and Bulgarian nature in contrast with New York. And it tells us about young people from Bulgaria, who are emigrating to USA and to the West. So there are only old people now. And it asks: Who will lead Bulgaria in the future? Who will look after this old, beautiful and amazing country? Why don´t you in your homeland, young Bulgarian people?
This was my first Bulgarian film and I fell in love with Bulgaria after seeing it.
a letter signed by the 'World'...
bilginersozlu9 February 2005
Letter to America. The name of the movie itself has an underlying message. A message, a sincere message to tell, i mean 'before all the bridges are burnt', American people, their government -or whatever it is- that the US should be aware of the life going on, whether they like it or not, on other places of the world, before they decide to bomb again... The scene is Bulgaria for this movie, but one can consider it as anywhere he likes on earth...
Movies are quite efficient communication channels between cultures. And, since the term 'communication' has two ways, i advice this movie especially to the American spectators, in return of the standard Hollywood movies we've been watching for years and years...
Movies are quite efficient communication channels between cultures. And, since the term 'communication' has two ways, i advice this movie especially to the American spectators, in return of the standard Hollywood movies we've been watching for years and years...
The beauty of people
Enkelados5 September 2003
This film is a wonderful story (don't worry, no spoilers ahead). The images are so powerful, just the way the actors and actresses are filmed is adding to the beauty and shows the wonders as much as it shows the sordidness of life. If you have never seen this movie yet and want to watch it, I have one thing to say, pay attention to the way people and landscapes are filmed.
Just a word about the main character, Ivan: He is great and the rest of the cast, obviously local people, are just unbelievebly perfect and touching.
Some people said this movie's a 'must see', I say their right.
Just a word about the main character, Ivan: He is great and the rest of the cast, obviously local people, are just unbelievebly perfect and touching.
Some people said this movie's a 'must see', I say their right.
Too much fuss for nothing
movieman_bg7 December 2001
"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...
Loved it !
maybeus2 November 2002
rather the opposite title
lora_traykova9 January 2002
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.
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.
The best Bulgarian movie I've ever seen!
ekateliev11 April 2002
Nice attempt, but alas...
sava_chankov2 April 2006
All contemporary Bulgarian features share a common problem - they're more of a theater play than cinema. Although this movie really tries to escape the status quo, the feeling that I was watching a play rather than a movie left me only in a few moments - in the scenes with unprofessional actors, who really outperform the professional cast. Unfortunately, the director did not risk shooting the movie without the theatrical actors - I think it would be a lot better if she dared. Another malady of the Bulgarian cinema that plagues this film is the slow manner in which the story is told.
To summarise it: the story is strong, and the real people who play themselves are a bit of a compensation for the other shortcomings.
To summarise it: the story is strong, and the real people who play themselves are a bit of a compensation for the other shortcomings.
Overrated, yet another abstract Bulgarian movie
netKo11 October 2010
With this movie the Bulgarian directors just followed strictly the trend to produce non-understandable, nothing-saying, abstract, slow films with awful music, random cast of actors who speak non-audible dialogs. Unfortunately 9 years after the release of this film the things do not get any better (we should mention only several exceptions). The only good aspects of this movie is the scenes with nature and the authentic villages. The openness and the wisdom of the non- professional cast are great by themselves but would stay well enough in a documentary. I cannot believe some body took it so seriously and even applied with this movie for Oscars.
not a bad movie after all
karamelia5 April 2001
Letter to America is kind of a strange movie. Its director Iglika Trifonova tries to make a comparison b/n America and Bulgaria (Sofia and a village in the Pirin mountains). I think she succeeded. She shows us different lots in this movie. I have to admit that she depressed me because in the movie there were many old people and their lives were very sad. The music was typically Bulgarian. The author is Milcho Leviev.
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