There's a powerful drama in here somewhere, where the toll of wrongful imprisonment tests the resolve of an Armenian repatriate, as he clings to traces of hope that he can see just beyond his prison cell window. Unfortunately, Amerikatsi constantly overstates itself through corny jokes and music choices, and it overestimates how compelling its mostly single-location narrative can be. This is a film that, for all its good intentions, relies far too heavily on fish-out-of-water quaintness and Rear Window-esque storytelling from a distance—downplaying the emotional and psychological toll of imprisonment and the violence inflicted upon other Armenians during this time. Amerikatsi doesn't really tell us much about the situation in the country at the time; it only ever tries too hard to make us feel something.

Still, lead actor Michael A. Goorjian (who also writes, directs, and co-edits the film) is much better as a dramatic actor than all the other hats he wears for this production. When the movie is focused squarely on Charlie gazing out of the cell window, Goorjian finds lots to say with very little—capturing a mix of hope and anguish and a dash of buckling sanity. So it's a shame that Goorjian's direction often gets in the way of his own performance, as Amerikatsi lingers far too long on certain moments after the point has been made, or as it inserts comedic beats into its narrative with the grace of a belly flop.