Letters to Santa (film)

Letters to Santa (Polish: Listy do M.), alternatively known as Letters to St. Nicholas, is a 2011 Polish romantic comedy film, directed by the Slovenian director Mitja Okorn. The film was shot in Warsaw from 27 January to March 2011.[3] The action takes place during one single Christmas Eve, when a few adults find the loves of their lives. The ensemble cast is composed of Polish actors. The film's poster and plot refer to the British romantic comedy of 2003 - Love Actually.[4] Sequels was released in 2015 and in 2017.

Letters to Santa
Polish theatrical release poster
Directed byMitja Okorn
Produced by
  • Izabela Łopuch
  • Dariusz Gąsiorowski
Written by
  • Karolina Szablewska
  • Marcin Baczyński
Sam Akina
Starring
Music byŁukasz Targosz
CinematographyMarian Prokop
Edited byJarosław Barzan
Production
company
TVN
Distributed byITI Cinema
Release date
  • 10 November 2011 (2011-11-10)
Running time
116 minutes[1]
CountryPoland
LanguagePolish
Box office$12,528,819[2]

Plot

The film Letters to Santa portrays lost characters who discover that what happened to them is love. On this special day of the year, five women and five men are finding out that there is no escape from love and Christmas.[1]

  • Doris - She is around 30 years old. What counts for her is a loving family. She is not yet married and usually wakes up alone in the morning, but this fact has not turned her into a desperate lady hanging on the arm of every encountered guy. She still believes that there's her second half waiting for her somewhere in this big city and that true love can happen.
  • Mikołaj - a romantic who is known for seducing women mainly on air. In real life it all looks a bit different. His greatest asset is his specific sense of humor and a deep male voice, stimulating the imagination of listeners who absolutely love it.
  • Wladi - many men would like to have his pugnacity and light approach to life. His charm and magic air works for women as an aphrodisiac. He can surprise with an unusual proposition, and in restaurants always foots the bill. It's just that no woman yet has succeeded to ensnare him. Will he finally find someone who discovers the key to his heart?
  • Melchior vel Mel Gibson - testosterone ebullient amateur and admirer of feminine beauty. As hardly anyone works in Ars Amandi. This arrogant handsome Don Juan is able to seduce with a single glance. The question remains if his narcissistic tendencies allow him to create a lasting relationship?
  • Szczepan - a busy psychologist who like Dirty Harry rushes to the rescue of the whole world. One day something happens that will destroy his peace of mind and bring him to a boil. What can he do? The excitement reach its zenith.
  • Karina - Szczepan's wife, very energetic, believes that love is like air and should be at your fingertips. But what to do when her husband spends more time working than being absorbed with his beloved woman? Is it a romance without real love?
  • Małgorzata - perfect, cold as ice and steadfast as a rock, radio director. Conducts business and her husband, Wojciech, with the same commitment and enduring opposition. Can something be able to knock her out of balance? It seems that nothing really... It turns out, though that even the ice queen carries a great need for love in her heart.
  • Wojciech - perfect husband, it seems: calm, tolerant, wise. In addition, he knows his wines, and the oldest people do not remember that his wife said "no." Boredom. But even though under the thumb, to his own surprise, he is able to go beyond the rigid framework of routine when something or someone will awake deep hidden longing and feelings.
  • Betty - wherever she appears, all eyes directed only at her. She could have any guy, but the most important is her mysterious Kazik. Who is the man for whom she decided to change her whole life?
  • Larwa - wouldn't be a bad bridesmaid material if only her best friend - Doris married. Larwa from a friend's perspective can enjoy a delightful vision of a successful relationship. She never gives up and can support her lost friend. Her twisted sense of humor works better than Doris's anti-stress mask.

Cast

Reception

Box office performance

Over the opening weekend the movie drew nearly 400 thousand people (specifically, the film was seen by 367,447 viewers). At the time this was the third best opening by a Polish film in the last 20 years.[5][6] In its first three weeks the film grossed $6,175,026, and was seen by over a million viewers.[2][7]

Maciej Dejczer has since produced two sequels to Letters To Santa. The shoot in Warsaw began on 25 February 2015 and finished in April. Branded as "the Polish Love Actually", Letters to Santa 2 continues the genre of romantic comedy with a Christmas theme.[8] The third film was released in 2017, and it became the most popular film of the year in Poland with 2.98 million admissions.[9]

Critical reviews

The film was positively received by both critics and the general public.[10] The film " Letters to St. Nicolas was hailed as "a romantic comedy with a genuine" (according to Rzeczpospolita),[11] "funny, touching and unpretentious"(by Metro), "the best Polish production for decades" (by Wprost),[12] which "restores faith in the fact that in our country good cinema entertainment is created (by TVP Info), where the jokes are "undeniably successful" (according to Gazeta Wyborcza).[7] The film was also appreciated by Duncan Kenworthy, producer of Notting Hill and Love Actually, who said:

The movie is fantastic. And as the audience I think it is both funny and poignant. It's made me feel a sudden craving for Christmas.[13]

Production

Winter weather was not conducive to the production of Letters to Santa. Snowmakers were utilised for the production of artificial snow.[14] Filming began in Kampinos forest snowstorms and streets of Warsaw.[3] A major challenge for the production was shooting in the popular Arkadia mall. The film crew could only carry out filming at night, although the story takes place across a busy Christmas Eve. There was reportedly a festive atmosphere on set.[14] Katarzyna Bujakiewicz, dressed as a snowflake, sang "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", Tomak Karolak and Roma Gąsiorowska in beautiful costumes entertained over 150 children and 300 adults extras who played Varsovians participating in last-minute Christmas shopping.[3][14]

Sequels

Two sequels were released, on November 15, 2015 and November 10, 2017.

gollark: I have to keep rederiving it because I forgot.
gollark: My entry is #1, apparently.
gollark: It is of course a sequel to these.
gollark: Think about it.
gollark: https://images-ext-2.discordapp.net/external/I-vEAKLWZ9JTPzDgUIFpvxrBLZjZWThYeihE132t9FQ/https/media.discordapp.net/attachments/461970193728667648/927630746817019964/unknown.png

References
  1. "Letters to St. Nicolas (2011)" (in Polish). Filmweb. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  2. "Listy Do M. (2011)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  3. "Letters to St. Nicolas" (in Polish). Filmpolski.pl. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  4. "Prezent na Święta - Recenzja filmu Letters to St. Nicolas (2011)" (in Polish). Filmweb. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  5. "Polski Box Office: Ludzie listy piszą..." (in Polish). Wirtualna Polska. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  6. "Rekordowe otwarcie "Listów do M." - Polacy pokochali ten film" (in Polish). Onet.pl. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  7. ""Letters to St. Nicolas" najnowsza produkcja TVN hitem w kinach!" (in Polish). listydom.tvn.pl. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  8. TVN Producing Sequel to Polish Box Office Hit
  9. Grynienko, Katarzyna (1 February 2018). "All-time Record Year for Polish Cinema". Film New Europe.
  10. "Aktorzy o "Listach do M."" (in Polish). listydom.tvn.pl. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  11. "Rodzima komedia jak brytyjski hit" (in Polish). rp.pl. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  12. ""Letters to St. Nicolas" - coś więcej niż romantyczna bajka. Wreszcie mamy dobrą komedię?" (in Polish). Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  13. "Producent "Notting Hill" zachwycony polskim filmem" (in Polish). Onet.pl. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  14. "Ciekawostki z planu" (in Polish). listydom.tvn.pl. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
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