Foreign Letters (2012)

Directed by

Ela Thier

Genre

drama film

Country

Israel

Runtime

1h 40m

Rating

6.1 of 10 from 9 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A 12 year old Israeli girl moves to the United States in 1982 and struggles with the new language and culture. She becomes close friends with a Vietnamese refugee her age, and together they deal with prejudice and learn from each other.

intimategentlemelancholichopefulearnestslow-pacedreflectivepersonal

What happens

Foreign Letters (Hebrew: מרחקים) is a 2012 Israeli/American drama film based on a true story of the movie's writer and director, Ela Thier. The movie, which has received mixed reviews from multiple sources, involves Ellie, a 12-year-old immigrant girl from Israel, and her family after moving into the United States in 1982. At first she experiences all kinds of difficulties, but then she meets Thuy, a Vietnamese refugee her age, bringing a changing point as the movie progresses. Its themes include the immigrant experience, learning English, dealing with prejudice, sharing secrets, opening to other cultures, and creatively handling conflict in friendships. Based on the filmmaker's own experience, Foreign Letters is a story about prejudice, "poverty, shame, and the power of friendship to heal us". The film features the music of iconic Israeli musician Chava Alberstein, who was the director's favorite musician when her family immigrated to the US in 1982. The film was the official selection at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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