Direction: Michael A. Goorjian
Country: Armenia
American actor, director and writer Michael A. Goorjian gazes at the tough fate of Charlie (played by the director), a survivor of the Armenian genocide who, having lived in the US since the age of four, returns to Armenia decades later to help rebuild a country that fell under Soviet sovereignty. His good intentions are defeated after bumping into a sympathetic woman, Sona (Nelli Uvarova), whose jealous husband Dmitry (Mikhail Trukhin) - a high-ranking Russian officer - sends him to prison on false accusations of religious propaganda, cosmopolitanism and capitalism.
As a child, Charlie was encouraged by his grandmother to never lose his smile no matter what life brings to him, and he takes that advice literally. When everything seems lost, from his cell window, he finds amusement in peeking a loving couple in a neighboring apartment. The man is Tigran (Hovik Keuchkerian), Sona’s brother and a censored artist turned prison tower guard.
Filmed with warmth, the film doesn’t leave behind much of a climax but is gorgeously photographed, with Goorjian making the most of the material with a quiet candor that, well anchored in emotion, is never excessively sentimental. Despite the harsh story, he’s able to leave the audience with a smile on their faces by handling serious matters in funny ways. He follows the same positivity that Roberto Benigni adopted in Life is Beautiful (1997).
Amerkatsi doesn't transcend drama or comedy conventions, but uses the steep contrast between injustice and human values to bolster its narrative; all with the help of a full-blooded direction, a gently satirical tone, and fine performances. The bittersweet ending will leave you reflecting on life after liberation.
