Last Letters from Monte Rosa (2010)

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

This film has all the quintessential elements a film should possess-a superb cast, an untold story delivered from a unique perspective, wonderful writing interspersed with moments both light and humorous as well as thought-provoking, and a wonderful director at its helm. It beautifully conveys the banality of everyday life for front-line troops combined with the sheer terror of modern warfare and enables the American viewer to empathize with an enemy fighter in a way that few war movies have done in the past. Although I was surprised by the high level of realism and technical detail achieved by the film, it was the relationship of the German and Italian soldiers, a relationship that has rarely been explored despite Hollywood's obvious fascination with the European theater, that truly carried the film. The tension-filled, yet often comical dynamic between the downtrodden soldiers of the two armies, seemingly fighting for dramatically divergent goals, fully captivated me, allowing me to forget that the American GI was little more than an afterthought in the film. A film that is particularly relevant for our times and should be viewed by all-highly recommended!

Im very touched your work and speechless. Its brilliant. The work that you done as a director on this is simply amazing and your sensitivity towards your story, crew, cast, cultures, humor is so real and honest that it shines out of every frame. You really mastered it all until you where finished and its my honor to watch your finished first feature film. There is simply nothing that could have been done better. The sound - the edit - I was so with all your characters and the choice you made to show people at war you held through the very end of the film. I cant imagine how much work this all was for you - how much swamped ; ) THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS - THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT FILM. Its amazing how you felt for everybody there and it will be my great honor to bring this film to my little community where I was raised in Austria. Im sure that everyone will be thankful to see a movie from this time that is not judging anyone but truly shows how things change in times of war. The love and respect you showed for each character and your crew crosses the images to my heart and I feel very happy to have met you here in Brooklyn. Thanks for the DVD you gave me. The thing is - it does not feel like you gave me a DVD, you gave me the largest gift a men could give.With all my respect; Ulli Gruber

Letters from Monte Rosa is a solid addition to the WWII genre. It is told from the point of view of Italian and German soldiers, who, as men of enemy nations, have seldom been the central subject of films widely seen by American audiences. Only a few titles -- The Bridge, Stalingrad and Cross of Iron among them -- have ever gotten meaningful exposure to the same aficionados who have seen Saving Private Ryan and the many WWII big studio battle action films made in the 1960s and '70s. In those films, almost invariably, the Germans of the Wehrmacht were automatons with Schmeissers and Tiger tanks defending an evil regime, and too seldom given human dimension as men who also longed for home, family, safety, and days without fear and suffering. As their worlds collapsed and death chased them, each soldier had to decide and to prove if he was a coward or courageous, if he would seek escape or do his duty. Letters from Monte Rosa shows us the horror of war, that there is seldom any glory in the ugly business of killing or dying. Still, sardonic humor pervades several scenes, and a few good belly laughs ease the tension even while building it. Director Ari Taub directs the actors well, asking them to show us the charisma and frustration, leadership and anguish of men in situations where there is little hope of survival. Tech credits are very good: the camera moves crisply, a textured sound scape provides a real sense of place, editing is proficient and puts us in the action. Production design is excellent for a low-budget effort. Also commendable is that the film strives to avoid the clichés so common to the war genre, and in so doing reveals a great passion for the theme that even enemy soldiers had dignity and souls.

I was so glad that I got the chance to see this wonderful film last night. Taub handles very delicate subject matter with grace and care. The acting is marvelous, and the editing of the story is tight and streamlined while still maintaining a naturalness of actual life memories as though they were being remembered to us in the suspended time of reminiscence. Like life, we get to experience both the comedy and tragedy of it all. And there is also humour here that is not dark humour at all - which it easily could be, exclusively, given the subject matter. The honesty in the writing of these characters and the intimacy of how these performances have been delivered and captured for us touches an essence deep within our sense of humanity as viewers. I hope that this important film can gain a very wide audience indeed - it is worthy! Bravo!