Short film based on love letter from WW2 veteran to his lover is everything you need on Valentine’s Day
'Unsent Letter' is based on the letter from soldier called Brian Keith to his lover Dave whom he met in Algeria
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
A new short film based on a love letter from a World War Two veteran to his lover has been released and it’s everything you need on Valentine’s Day.
Unsent Letter was created by filmmaker Christian Gordine and tells the story of the real-life relationship between a WW2 veteran and his lover whom he met whilst stationed in Algeria.
Gordine said he was ‘greatly moved’ by the letter from a soldier called Brian Keith to his lover called Dave which he found a few years ago and felt compelled to tell their story in the new short film.
Gordine tells Attitude: “I first came across the original letter a few years ago and was moved by how raw it still felt nearly 50 years later. I found it quite painful to read.
“I found it quite painful to read. Firstly, because of its candid expression of a stifled romance, victim to historical circumstance. It was also a stark reminder of the difficulty LGBTQI+ people still face today in simply expressing their love.
“What I found so powerful was how the letter eloquently captured so many thoughts and feelings that I’ve experienced myself, but couldn’t express. Brian Keith’s letter to David acted as a reminder that I wasn’t alone.
“I decided to make the film partly as an emotional release, but primarily because I wanted to bring to life such a important story, told from the perspective of an older LGBTQI+ man.
“I think too often we forget the experiences of older generations in the community, which is why LGBTQI+ History month is such a crucial part of our queer identity.
“Not only does it reminds us of where we have come from but it shows us the progress we have made, despite there still being battles to be won.
“I want Unsent Letter to be viewed as a homage to the people from our community whose lives weren’t as easy as ours are today, but also to remind people of the missed opportunities in their own lives.”
Unsent Letter recently won Best LGBT Short at Edinburgh Independent Film Festival and has been screened most recently at Cardiff Interntaional Film Festival, Sydney Short Film Festival where it won Best Short and Best Narrative Short at Latitude Film Festival. #
It’s also screening at Shorts on Tap London next month.
Watch the film below:
Unsent Letter from Christian Gordine on Vimeo.