Amerikatsi


Amerikatsi is a 2022 Armenian comedy-drama film written, edited, directed by, and starring Michael A. Goorjian. The film is about an Armenian-American who repatriates to the Armenian SSR after World War II and ends up in a Soviet prison.
The film premiered at Woodstock Film Festival in 2022, winning the Best Narrative Feature award. It received positive reviews. Armenian Film Society held an additional premiere for the film at its 2023 Armenian Film Festival in Glendale, California. It was also selected as the Armenian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Synopsis

Armenian-American repatriate Charlie Bakhchinyan is arrested for the absurd crime of wearing a tie in Soviet Armenia. Alone in solitary confinement, he soon discovers that he can see inside of an apartment building near the prison from his cell window. By watching the native Armenian couple living in the apartment, day in and day out, Charlie soon discovers everything he returned to Armenia for.
Amerikatsi is about hope and the art of survival in the worst of conditions.

Cast

Reception

Amerikatsi won the Best Narrative Feature award at the Woodstock Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Hamburg Film Festival, and the Best Narrative Feature at the Beloit International Film Festival.
It holds a 89% "Fresh" rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. Alan Ng of Film Threat, who gave the film a positive score for example, argued that the story brings "humor and levity to a solemn subject." Film critic Richard Propes says Amerikatsi is a "film of tremendous spirit and hope."
Variety called it “gentle, humane and quietly gripping,” noting the film’s warmth and Goorjian’s nuanced portrayal. ScreenDaily praised its balance of humor and political history, describing it as “an affecting and unexpectedly uplifting story.” The Armenian outlet CivilNet noted the film’s cultural resonance and authenticity, especially in its depiction of diaspora identity and all-Armenian production.