We Are Going to America

Russian helmer Yefim Gribov co-wrote and directed this 1900s-set search for the American dream, a "tragi-comic tale of one family's journey out of the shtetl and into the world of the unknowns." Adapted from Sholom Aleichem's short story "The Adventures of Mottel: The Cantor's Son," and purportedly inspired by the paintings of Chagall, We Are Going to America (1992) is a part Fellini-ish, part Three Stooges-ish telling of a family's emigration to America as seen through the fantastical eyes of an 11-year-old boy. Despite its ultra low budget and washed-out print (which renders many of the white subtitles illegible), My Yedem v Ameriku, as it's internationally known, turns out to be an unexpectedly winning road pic. Gribov, in his first (and last?) feature, paints with mighty broad strokes, but this off-beat effort has an indomitable spirit and joyous buoyancy, and even manages to pluck, in measured fashion, the occasional heartstring. Not for all tastes, but recommended for more adventurous collections. (S. C. Sickles)