New Documentary Goes Inside Mail Order Brides
Posted: April 24th, 2014, 12:11 am
What happens when six everyday average Joe's travel to Ukraine to find wives? That's right, the same Ukraine that is now under partial occupation by Russian forces.
From Jonathan Narducci's Los Angeles-based Powershot Productions comes the latest expose into the fascinating world of international romance tours. “Love Me - The Documentary,†collaboration between Powershot and the oft-scrutinized Phoenix, Arizona-based A Foreign Affair, (whose website, loveme.com, inspired the name of the film) will debut this month at the Toronto Film Festival. A true labor of love constructed after three years of exhaustive filming, interviewing, editing, and research, “Love Me†parallel’s the experiences of six mostly middle-aged foreign bride finders as they travel to Ukraine in search of a wife.
The controversial subject of mail order brides has been hardly inconspicuous. Over the past ten years as thousands of men have paid top dollar to meet fantasy wives around the world. ABC's Nightline, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and National Geographic have all embedded on AFA's Ukrainian love tours to put a spin on why so many men are willing to go half way around the world to get a date. What makes Powershot's hour and a half film uniquely engaging? There's no spin. Six lonely men go to Ukraine to find wives. Five fall in love. Two ultimately get married and one is already a dad. We're introduced to two cuddly blondes, Inna and Vitalina, and their Ukrainian families as the girls go from first date to fiancee visa to standing at the alter in America.
Yet all is not as easy for the rest of the group. Bobby from Virginia is surprised his marriage proposal on the spot is turned down. Travis is not sure what to make of the village girl who says she loves him but asks him for too much money. Michael, a gregarious Aussie not touring with the group is clearly more in love than his fiancée appears to be. Narducci explores why some couples succeed. There's timing, chemistry, and lots of support from families. And, as Inna says, “Big Love!†More poignantly, the film asks why some mail order bride relationships fail, leaving the men disappointed and confused.
In the end, Love Me - The Documentary will ask more questions than it answers. (Narducci catches nearly everyone off guard with the simplest question of all: "What is love?") But a good number of guys, frustrated with their local dating prospects, will definitely take notice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDSTKy7-p1Q
From Jonathan Narducci's Los Angeles-based Powershot Productions comes the latest expose into the fascinating world of international romance tours. “Love Me - The Documentary,†collaboration between Powershot and the oft-scrutinized Phoenix, Arizona-based A Foreign Affair, (whose website, loveme.com, inspired the name of the film) will debut this month at the Toronto Film Festival. A true labor of love constructed after three years of exhaustive filming, interviewing, editing, and research, “Love Me†parallel’s the experiences of six mostly middle-aged foreign bride finders as they travel to Ukraine in search of a wife.
The controversial subject of mail order brides has been hardly inconspicuous. Over the past ten years as thousands of men have paid top dollar to meet fantasy wives around the world. ABC's Nightline, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and National Geographic have all embedded on AFA's Ukrainian love tours to put a spin on why so many men are willing to go half way around the world to get a date. What makes Powershot's hour and a half film uniquely engaging? There's no spin. Six lonely men go to Ukraine to find wives. Five fall in love. Two ultimately get married and one is already a dad. We're introduced to two cuddly blondes, Inna and Vitalina, and their Ukrainian families as the girls go from first date to fiancee visa to standing at the alter in America.
Yet all is not as easy for the rest of the group. Bobby from Virginia is surprised his marriage proposal on the spot is turned down. Travis is not sure what to make of the village girl who says she loves him but asks him for too much money. Michael, a gregarious Aussie not touring with the group is clearly more in love than his fiancée appears to be. Narducci explores why some couples succeed. There's timing, chemistry, and lots of support from families. And, as Inna says, “Big Love!†More poignantly, the film asks why some mail order bride relationships fail, leaving the men disappointed and confused.
In the end, Love Me - The Documentary will ask more questions than it answers. (Narducci catches nearly everyone off guard with the simplest question of all: "What is love?") But a good number of guys, frustrated with their local dating prospects, will definitely take notice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDSTKy7-p1Q
