Cartas a Elena (2012)
In the beautiful hills of the Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, Mexico, a young boy (Emilio) is adopted by the mailman (Teo). As part of their daily tasks, they not only deliver the mail but read letters to the villagers, as well as take dictation, since most are illiterate. Young Emilio quickly learns to read and write but feels saddened by the mostly difficult stories sent by relatives, that moved north to Denver, Colorado in pursuit of a better future. One day Teo becomes disabled and Emilio takes over the mail route and with great imagination, he changes the letters to happy and optimistic stories. Within days, the village is transformed. The elders, once hopeless, lonely and sad, are now happy and enthusiastic, enjoying the "supposed" success their loved ones write from the United States. But the enjoyment is short lived, as they realize that all the wonderful stories are the same...
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Reviews
Too much of everything
A different way of telling a story
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
I had not intended to write a review.However, I've read all the others and not found one reflecting my opinion.So I will write this. Just so you are forewarned.This thing is awful.It's as if it was written by seven-year-olds for seven-year-olds.It's horribly acted.I watched it because I wanted to see Copper Canyon. Very few shots of it and what I saw was not particularly memorable.This is like bad American TV in the forties.Just awful.
This is a beautiful and elegant movie, that makes you happy to be human and celebrates the heroic in everyday life. The fact that it is set in the sierra of northern Mexico does not detract at all from the elegance of the film, it just shows the natural beauty that most of us are not aware of.In order to properly evaluate this gem, it has to be understood through its cultural differences or through the windows of an open heart.The genuine kindness of some of the villagers and the ingenuity of the young boy will touch your heart. This is a film to be remembered long after it is seen. Warning: this film if for sophisticated viewers, even if it is set in the simplest of settings.The meaning of true love, the deep, deep kind, is the theme of this basically unknown gem. Hope to see more from director Martin Barajas LLorent.
I just saw this film at the Rio in Overland Park, Kansas, as part of the twentieth Latin American Film Festival hosted by the Sociedad Hidalgo. I went thinking the whole story was right there in the blurb, but wanting to see the Copper Canyons. I expected a sentimental story.I'm always offended by Stephen Spielberg's attempts to play on my emotions. I have to say, I totally bought into this one. Mexican writers have a way of making sentimentality profound. The story of elderly parents, in the beautiful isolation of the Copper Canyons, and the compassion of Teo and Emilio, the bringers of bad news from their children far way en El Norte, was very moving. It was made more so, knowing that many of the people of Mexican origin in the audience had known this experience first hand.It's the first film by Barrajas Lloren't, who calls himself a liar, because he wants people to feel what he feels: hope in the face of a life that is 90% bad news. He talked about making the film in Chihuahua, torn apart by a war for control between narco armies, where the strength of the people is the only hope.The strongest message for me was the relationship of parents and children. Teo says that distance is a terrible thing between people who love each other. The parents in the film were willing to absorb and bear all the pain their children sent them along with their remittances from an increasingly difficult life in Denver but held on to the dreams of happiness they had for them when they were small.They were so willing to believe the good news Emilio brought them, because the love and hope parents have for their children never stops. On the other side, the distant children were working far from their loved ones, land and language so that they could send them money to survive.I'm grateful to Barrajas Lloren't for his beautiful lies from the Copper Canyons of Chihuahua. I also loved hearing Teo read from Juan Rulfo and seeing his book survive the flames in his cabin. Maybe hope can survive, too.
I watched this film at the Newport Beach Film Festival and wasn't sure what to expect. I was blown away by it. This gloriously photographed film tells the story of Emilio, a young boy who becomes the mailman of the town, in a time in which there are no phones or emails so the only way for people to communicate with their loved ones abroad is through letters. The film truly manages to capture the connection between parents and children and the magic feeling in receiving a letter. The music is beautifully composed and carries well with the pace of the story. With a remarkable cast Cartas a Elena is easily one of the best films Mexico has produced. I am pretty well sure this film will be recognized as something downright extraordinary.