Tangerines (film)

Tangerines
Film poster
Directed by	Zaza Urushadze
Produced by	Ivo Felt, Zaza Urushadze
Written by	Zaza Urushadze
Starring	Lembit Ulfsak, Elmo Nüganen, Mikheil Meskhi, Giorgi Nakashidze, Raivo Trass
Music by	Niaz Diasamidze
Cinematography	Rein Kotov
Distributed by	Allfilm, Cinema 24, Samuel Goldwyn Films[1]
Release dates	15 October 2013 (2013-10-15)
Running time	87 minutes
Country	Estonia, Georgia
Language	Estonian, Russian
Budget	650 000 €

Tangerines (Georgian: მანდარინები Mandarinebi, Estonian: Mandariinid) is a 2013 Estonian-Georgian film, directed, produced and written by Zaza Urushadze (Georgian film director and screenwriter). The film carries a pacifist message and examines wartime realities regarding the meaning of how to be human.^[2][3] It was filmed in Guria, Georgia.

It has been nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.^[4][5] It was among the five nominated films at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards for best foreign language film.^[6]

Plot

In a rural village of Ethnic Estonians in Abkhazia Georgia, Ivo (Lembit Ulfsak) and Margus (Elmo Nüganen) are the only who have not fled for Estonia after the outbreak of the 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia. Margus is waiting to leave until he can hopefully harvest his lucrative tangerine crop, while his friend Ivo is a carpenter who attempts to make enough wooden crates to hold all the unpicked tangerines. Ivo however doesn't reveal his reasons for staying. Two ominous Chechen soldiers show up and extort food from Ivo, but leave peacefully and with respect for a lone, elderly grandfather, who is only minding his own work. The soldiers however get into a firefight with Georgian soldiers in front of Margus' house, leaving only one alive from each side. Ahmed (Giorgi Nakashidze), a Chechen mercenary on the Abkhazian side, and Niko (Mikheil Meskhi), a Georgian volunteer, are both gravely wounded, and Ivo brings them into his home to nurse them back to health.

While both vow to kill each other once they have the strength, Ivo secures a pledge from each to not enact any vengeance under his roof. A great deal of tension ensues between the two enemies as they begin to recover over many days in the same tiny house. Slowly, the two begin to recognize the humanity and honor in each other. Under the moral tutelage of the senior and wise Ivo, the two move from hatred and antagonism, to respect and camaraderie. When Chechen soldiers come to the house, Ivo convinces Ahmed to tell them that Niko is also a fellow Chechen soldier, but whose head wound has left him unable to speak.

After a local military troupe fails to show to harvest the tangerines, Margus is desperate. A Russian militia arrives, camps nearby, and promises to harvest the tangerines in two days. However, that night Chechen shelling hits the village, destroying Margus' property. Ahmed offers Margus a large wad of cash that he has made from being a mercenary, but Margus refuses money "made like that".

Later a different Russian troupe drive up to the house, finding Ahmed outside, and falsely accuse him of being on the other side. They are about to execute him when Niko shoots them from the house with a machine gun. In the fire-fight the innocent Margus is killed, and Ahmed partners with Niko to defeat the Russians. But Niko is then shot dead by a wounded Russian, and Ahmed finishes off Niko's killer.

Ivo and Ahmed bury Margus and Niko. Ivo reveals that the Niko's grave lies next to that of his own son, who died senselessly early in the war, and that if Ahmed had died instead of Niko, Ivo would have buried Ahmed next to his son. Ahmed tells Ivo that he misses his own family, and begins his drive home.

Cast

• Lembit Ulfsak as Ivo, an elderly Estonian farmer living in Abkhazia. He is a hawk-faced older fellow, who never hesitates; he instantly helps others, regardless of their "side" in this misery.
• Giorgi Nakashidze as Ahmed, a wounded Chechen soldier, slightly wounded but eager to "kill that scumbag in the next room!" Ivo eventually gets him to promise not to kill Niko unless he steps outside the house.
• Elmo Nüganen as Margus, a friend of Ivo, another Estonian farmer, the fellow with the tangerine orchard. He wants to make this sale so he can join his family in Estonia.
• Mikheil Meskhi as Niko, a wounded Georgian soldier, a Christian with shrapnel in his head. His hatred for Ahmet is every bit as venomous.

Critical reception

The film received an 85% rating from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 54 reviews, with an average score of 7.3/10, and with the critic consensus being: "Tangerines' impassioned message and the strong work of a solid cast more than make up for the movie's flawed narrative and uneven structure."^[7]

Accolades

See also

• List of submissions to the 87th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Estonian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

References

External links

• Tangerines Allfilm
• Tangerines at the Internet Movie Database
• Tangerines at AllMovie
• Tangerines at Rotten Tomatoes
• Estonian-Georgian film Mandariinid (Tangerines) wins prizes in Germany
• 'Tangerines': Film Review The Hollywood Reporter, 11/24/2014