16mm, b/w, sound, 56 seconds, 2010

Letter is part of The Perlin Papers series.

Letters of varying emotional tone feature prominently in the Perlin Papers archive. The FBI read, translated, copied, stored and replied to these letters throughout the 1940s and into the 1970s. U.S. citizens wrote letters to turn in their neighbors, retract petition signatures, express outrage, and beg for forgiveness. The single re-animated letter in this film reflects the climate of fear and condemnation that imbued U.S. culture in the 1950s. This short film serves as an introduction to the terms and themes of the Perlin Papers series.