Letter to Brezhnev (1985)

A simple but sincere story about the hopeless situation of Liverpool's working class during Thatcher's 1980s. It's a shame that they drop out at the moment Tracy leaves for the USSR; they could have done some interesting things by mirroring the situations in Liverpool and the USSR.

Translated from Dutch · View original

"We're fucking desperate..." and indeed the young women from Kirkby-Liverpool use extremely harsh language and are desperately looking for the chance to escape their dreary existence.

In the first place, partly due to the playful way the story is developed, it delivers funny moments and dominates the concept of "comedy," but actually, a feeling of pity for the ladies increasingly overwhelms you, and the film certainly manages to be moving.

The filmmaker certainly does not shy away from the problem of the hopelessness of the ordinary working class in the big city, with unemployment, if not with work that brings no joy, but the fact that this is done with romance and a laugh makes the film all the more palatable.

Excellent performances.

Translated from Dutch · View original

Charming film and, above all, a beautiful portrayal of the atmosphere, particularly forty years later. However, it does lack truly memorable moments.

Nice to see a young Alfred Molina, plus the journalist I remember from a supporting role in Fawlty Towers.

Translated from Dutch · View original