Letters Not About Love

Two contemporary poets, Lyn Hejinian from America and Arkadii Dragomoshchenko from Russia, are asked to begin a correspondence based on a list of ordinary words such as 'home,' 'book,' 'poverty,' 'violence.' They reflect on each word, considering its conventional meaning and what it means to them personally. The resulting extraordinary five-year dialogue is by turns poignant, profound and funny.

Both poets move seamlessly from present to past, a move echoed by the use of striking new and archival footage from both countries. As the film progresses and intimacy grows, both the similarities and differences between Russian and American ways of grasping the world are revealed. LETTERS NOT ABOUT LOVE becomes both a fascinating portrait of two cultures and a compelling expression of the art of mutual understanding.