Letters to Milna
| Letters to Milna Писма до Милна | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Khatcheres Istamboulian |
| Screenplay by | Marijan Burić |
| Story by | Zoran Sideropoulos |
| Produced by | Antonia Kamennova Bakalova |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Aleksandra Stamboliiska |
| Edited by | Domagoj Vukman |
Production company | Resonance Studios |
| Distributed by | Commonality Films Incorporated |
Release date | 16 July 2017 |
Running time | 114 minutes |
| Country | Syara |
| Language | Syaran |
| Budget | $8 million |
| Box office | $259 million |
Letters to Milna (Syaran: Писма до Милна) is a Syaran drama film directed by Khatcheres Istamboulian. It stars Penteley Borisov Pramatarov, Lucijan Bobić, and Roza Boulis. The film follows a despondent alcoholic single father (Pramatarov) who tries to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter (Boulis) with the assistance of an older acquaintance (Bobić).
The script was initially produced in 2008 but production was halted due to the Zemplen War and did not resume until 2014. The film's release was delayed twice before finally premiering on 16 July 2017. Letters to Milna received critical acclaim, with particular praise given to Pramatarov and Bobić. The film grossed $259 million on an $8 million budget and was nominated for several Syaran and international film festival awards.
Cast
- Penteley Borisov Pramatarov as Andrej
- Lucijan Bobić as Vedran
- Roza Boulis as Kipra
Plot
Andrej, a despondent blue collar worker, grapples with his direction in life following the death of his wife, Stela. His relationship with his daughter Kipra has become increasingly strained since the death of Stela in a medical emergency; her death was complicated by Andrej's drinking, which prevented him from getting to her to a hospital fast enough to save her. Sensing that he is going nowhere in life and with his best years far behind him with Kipra going off to college, Andrej sinks into a depression and spends much of his free time and money drinking at bars and at home. One night after drinking with some coworkers, he is pulled over for drunk driving. He is summoned to court and given the option of attending a group therapy session for alcoholics, or he faces possible jail time.
Andrej agrees to therapy, reasoning that quitting drinking with help him reconnect with Kipra. At the therapy session however Andrej is only further disillusioned; most of the attendants are his age, listless, and have nothing going on in their lives. The sole exception is a quiet but cheerful and friendly man in his 60s named Vedran. Andrej attends several sessions, largely uninterested in the various techniques and methods utilized by the counselor to stop drinking, but is perplexed by Vedran, who seems to have nothing going on in his life, but seems perfectly content. One night Andrej approaches Vedran to ask him what he does with his, but is only further puzzled when Vedran reveals he only engages in small hobbies, but mentions he writes daily letters to his daughter Milna.
Andrej gradually grows closer to Vedran as he learns that the two men have several things in common; Vedran is also apparently a single father after revealing that his wife died in a car accident nearly thirty years ago. As the two talk, Andrej explains his own distant relationship with his daughter, which Vedran responds by urging Andrej to try to get closer to her. Andrej reluctantly agrees, unsure what he has left to offer Kipra. Over the course of several weeks Andrej slowly rebuilds his relationship with Kipra, who eventually agrees to resume their family ties and invites Andrej to attend her university graduation.
The day before her graduation however Andrej suffers through a difficult day at work, and gets into a verbal altercation with his boss that nearly leads him to be fired. Frustrated, he returns home and drinks excessively, before vomiting and passing out. He awakes the next day to realize he missed Kripa's graduation, but when he tries to explain he reveals his drinking habits are still present and she angrily dismisses him. Driven into a fury by his failures as a father and his inability to quit drinking, Andrej makes his way to Vedran's house and proceeds to angrily rant to him about the complete failure of his efforts to stay sober. Vedran calmly insists Andrej keep trying to stay close to his daughter, causing Andrej to lash out and accuse Vedran of not understanding where he is coming from by pointing out Vedran's seemingly normal relationship.
Andrej proceeds to take one of Vedran's letters to Milna and reads it in a drunken, berating tone, only to become confused by the verbiage and language used. Unable to understand the letter, Andrej asks where Milna lives and why Vedran is writing to her in such a strange manner. Vedran quietly explains that Milna is dead; she died in the same accident that killed Vedran's wife, which was the result of Vedran getting behind the wheel while intoxicated. He was imprisoned for thirty years and only recently released. He reveals that he writes letters to Milna that invent circumstances of the life she never got to live; going to school, getting married, and having children, which he uses as a coping mechanism to overcome his own guilt. Andrej leaves while Vedran reiterates that he should keep trying to be part of Kripa's life.
Andrej returns home and gathers some of Kripa's belongings before driving back to see Kripa, interrupting a graduation party in the process. Kripa is initially furious and demands he leaves, but slowly relents as Andrej proceeds to give her tokens of her childhood that he kept while raising her on his own. Andrej stumbles through an apology for his drinking and responsibility for Stela's death, before promising he won't bother her in person, but insists that he will write her letters for the rest of his life. Kripa says she will allow Andrej to remain part of her life so long as he quits drinking.
In the ending scene, Andrej receives his five year sobriety award from the therapy office while excitedly telling the other participants of Kripa's upcoming wedding. Vedran, seated next to Andrej, smiles warmly.
Reception
Letters to Milna was a commercial and critical success, earning $259 million combined at both the Syaran and international box office. Critics praised the film for its poignant writing and subject matter, with special focus given to the acting skills of the main cast. The film was credited with increasing attendance in alcoholic recovery programs, which recorded a 13% increase in attendance following the film's release in Syara.