By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Zaza Urushadze
Starring: Elmo Nüganen | Giorgi Nakashidze | Lembit Ulfsak | Misha Meskhi | Raivo Trass.
Original language title: Mandariinid
Country: estonia, georgia
Year: 2015
Running time: 87
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2991224/combined
Kyle says: “TANGERINES is set in a rural village in Abkhazia, which considers itself independent, and which Georgia considers part of its territory. The collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1991 resulted in dozens of local conflicts, and this one is set in 1992. Almost everyone has fled the area to avoid endless violent skirmishes, leaving two Estonian neighbors Ivo (Lembit Ulfsak) and Margus (Elmo Nüganen) to harvest an abundant crop of tangerines before it goes bad and becomes worthless. Help with the harvest has been promised but never arrives. The valley seems serene and bucolic, but every time a vehicle arrives or a suspicious sound is heard, the possibility of death is present. One sudden skirmish leaves two victims from opposing camps gravely wounded: Chechen Muslim mercenary Ahmed (Giorgi Nakashidze), fighting for Abkhazia, and professional theatre actor Niko (Misha Meskhi), volunteering for his homeland Georgia. While Margus frets about the imminent disaster facing his crop of tangerines, Ivo undertakes to heal the wounds of Ahmed and Niko and nurse them back to health, as the two threaten each other with violent death almost every waking moment.
“To say that this exquisite miniature is a profound contemplation of the idea of brotherhood, or an anti-war meditation for an era consumed by senseless regional conflicts globally, is almost to belittle its brilliance. So precise and affecting are the performances by the four leads that it was a great shock to watch a supplement in which the staging of numerous scenes and the direction of certain moments are revealed to be the result of cinematic artifice. Although TANGERINES was nominated for the always- contentious Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, that dubious ‘honor’ frequently steers potential enthusiasts to other titles. In this case, that would be a heartrending loss of a true treat. TANGERINES is a clear candidate for Chlotrudis’ 2015 Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast. Don’t miss it. 5 cats
“Seen Thursday, August 20, 2015, on Netflix, New York.”