Reviews
Director/producer Melody Gilbert once again reveals her knack for spotting a subculture with a story that needs to be told. This time it’s Eastern European college students with American stars and stripes in their eyes, coming to the United States for menial summer jobs like hotel maid, pizza-dough tosser and fishmonger’s flunky. Gilbert follows several of them, particularly Bulgarian pals Elena and Nikoleta, from emotional goodbyes to families they’ve never been apart from, through the steep learning curve of American culture and back home again, a little blonder, a little tanner and a lot wiser. (67 min.)
KRISTIN TILLOTSON–The Star Tribune | ⋆⋆⋆
News Stories & Related Links
- VICE : The Grueling Lives of Foreign Students Who Spend Summers Working in America
- A Reel Of One’s Own:Reel Talk: 11 Questions with ‘The Summer Help’ Director Melody Gilbert
- Ferdy On Films: The Summer Help
- BG-Voice : ВИДЕО: Американка показва как живеят BG студентите на бригади в САЩ (Bulgarian only)
- BiTelevision : Филм за БГ студенти с премиера в Чикаго (Bulgarian only)
- WLUW-88.7 FM Loyola University Radio |Live From the Heartland Show
- WTIP-North Shore Community Radio: Film takes a look at summer help from foreign students
- MSP International Film Festival: Festival Audio Bites-Melody Gilbert and Igor Myakotin — The Summer Help
- Gene Siskel Film Center: The Summer Help
- The Star Tribune: 25 must-see movies at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
- MPR NEWS: This year’s film festival slims down … to 180 movies
- IFP Chicago: Rough Cuts Screening of Melody Gilbert’s Newest Documentary “The Summer Help”
- AUBG Daily: “The Summer Help.” Coming Soon
- Club Z: Students on summer holidays in the United States work more than 80 hours a week
- AUBG.EDU: AUBG Professor Launches New Documentary
- tobulgaria: Help Wanted for “Summer Help”
- AUBG.EDU: WAT: You’ll Never Know until You Experience It Yourself!