Critics Choice Cinema: Foreign Letters

(English, Hebrew, and Vietnamese with English subtitles, 2012, NR, 100 min.)

Ellie, a 12-year-old girl from Israel, is lonely and homesick. Life brightens when she meets Thuy, a Vietnamese refugee her age. Trust slowly builds as the two teach each other about life in America. As Ellie and Thuy become inseparable, they eventually hurt and betray each other. Ellie must give up her most prized possession in order to save their friendship. Based on the filmmaker's own experience, Foreign Letters is a story about prejudice, poverty, shame, and the power of friendship to heal. The film features the music of iconic Israeli musician Chava Albertstein who was the director's favorite musician when her family immigrated to the United States in 1982.

Cast: Noa Rotstein and Dalena Le