Letter to America (2001)

Genres - Drama  |   Run Time - 90 min.  |   Countries - Bulgaria, Hungary, Netherlands  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Mark Deming

In this low-key drama, Ivan (Peter Antonov) is a young man living in Bulgaria who is still adjusting to the fact that his best friend has relocated to the United States. Word gets back to Ivan that his friend has been in a car wreck and is in critical condition; his first thought is to go to New York to visit him, but he is unable to get a visa that will allow him to leave the country. Determined to let his friend know that he cares, Ivan borrows a camcorder and begins taping a long video letter that will show what his old hometown has been looking like in recent weeks. Along the way, Ivan is reminded of an old song he and his friend used to sing in childhood, but he can't remember most of the words. The tune was taught to them by the injured boy's grandmother, who lives these days in a small village far away. Ivan decides he needs to find her and learn the rest of the song, so he hits the road, meeting a number of interesting strangers as he searches for the elderly woman. Pismo Do Amerika was Bulgaria's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 2001 Academy Awards, though the film failed to become one of the five pictures to receive an official nomination.