Foreign Letters (2012)

A bittersweet coming-of-age film, Foreign Letters is itself a love letter to the unshakeable bond between friends. Set in the pre-email era of the 1980s, young Ellie, newly arrived to the ... See full summary »

Director:

Ela Thier

Writer:

Ela Thier

Stars:

Laura Camien, Virginia Hastings, Dalena Le

Cast

Credited cast:
Laura Camien	...	Mrs. Carol
Virginia Hastings	...	Ms. Para
Dalena Le	...	Thuy
Udi Razzin	...	Ellie's father
Noa Rotstein	...	Ellie
Daphna Thier	...	Dalia (as Daphne Tier)
Ela Thier	...	Ellie's mother
Uri Thier	...	Grandfather

Storyline

A bittersweet coming-of-age film, Foreign Letters is itself a love letter to the unshakeable bond between friends. Set in the pre-email era of the 1980s, young Ellie, newly arrived to the US from Israel, anxiously waits for letters from her best friend back home. Suffering from homesickness, language difficulties and rejection at school, life brightens when she meets Thuy, a Vietnamese refugee her age. As the two bond and become inseparable, they eventually hurt each other, and Ellie must find a way to restore their trust. Based on director Ela Thier's personal immigration experience, Foreign Letters is a film about poverty, prejudice, shame, and the healing power of friendship.

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Plot Keywords:

immigration | vietnam | coming of age | israel

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Taglines:

A story of friendships without borders

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 2012 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

NBTV Studios, Thier Productions

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Great "from the heart" film

The lessons learned from childhood friendships apply to friendships between adults. In this simple yet profound story are thought provoking issues about expectations, disappointment, and forgiveness. It's also about alienation, loneliness and the difficulty of assimilation. This is the kind of film that stays with you long after you've seen it. There are no special effects, no sex, no violence and yet there wasn't one moment where I wasn't fully involved and totally absorbed. I know the acting was good because there wasn't one second that I was aware that they were acting. This is an excellent movie to watch with children or grandchildren.