Tangerines (2013)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

In a world so ravaged by endless wars & poisoned with people hating one another, Tangerines (also known as Mandariinid) arrives as an elegantly crafted & sensibly told morality tale that exquisitely demonstrates the futility of war, hate & conflict and shows that beneath all the things that divides us, there lies a humanity which isn't exclusive to any one demographic.Set in a rural village during the 1992-1993 War in Abkhazia, Tangerines concerns an Estonian pacifist who brings two men from opposing forces to his house after finding them gravely wounded in a recent conflict. Nursing them back to health, he tries to dissipate the tension between the two enemies living under the same roof, both of whom have vowed to kill each other once they've recovered.Written, produced & directed by Zaza Urushadze, the film takes a simple premise and turns it into a thoroughly compelling drama that spikes in tension every now n then. Urushadze's approach to his material is grounded in realism as he handles the anti-war themes with precision and allows each character to chip in with their own views & beliefs which then finds a common ground as plot progresses.There are only four people that matter in the film, each exhibiting a certain depth & well-defined arc, and what the story pursues is the unity that develops between the two enemies as they slowly discard their prejudice after getting to know each other a bit more and learn to value the humanity in each other. The final act may not pack as strong a punch as expected but it nonetheless drives the point home.Despite the conflict raging nearby, the remote setting has a very serene feel to it that is further elevated by tangerine trees that infuse life into the deserted town. Camera is silently operated, often employing long takes, and allows each scene to unfold at its own pace. Editing is relaxed while the score beautifully complements the drama from start to finish. But the main highlight is the solid performances.Leading from the front is Lembit Ulfsak as the elderly & wise Ivo whose house is where the drama unfurls. His performance has a calm demeanour to it and it's an admirable work from the senior actor by all means. Giorgi Nakashidze & Mikheil Meskhi are in as the Chechen & Georgian soldier respectively and both play their part responsibly while Elmo Nüganen does well with his role as Ivo's neighbour & friend.On an overall scale, Tangerines is a thought-provoking, riveting & compassionate story of moral, honour, humanity & harmony with its heart at the right place. The nail-biting tension evident in the scenes involving the two enemies sitting in front of each other do make up for the film's finest moments but what really makes it a hopeful & rewarding experience is its timely, topical & universal themes. Well-deserving of a broader viewership, this Estonian gem comes highly recommended.

I'm not aware of the political, historical, religious & ethnic differences between the people depicted in the movie, but I can still relate to them. I mean not in the literal sense but just on human level.I think, almost always, majority of the people who are fighting a war are not personally affected by its cause. It's something that's just inculcated in them. They are taught to hate the opposite side.This movie, with a handful of characters, in just so little words, in such a short time, makes you realize that you can empathize with anyone. You should just have the will to do so. Humanity is capable of so much love that there can be no place left for hatred, but sadly we're too busy fighting, every day, every where, in one or another part of the world.This is a captivating movie from the first frame to the last. The background score uplifts and complements the mood of the movie so beautifully. The acting is sublime, the direction is top notch. The story is really simple and all the charm is in the storytelling.It makes you question yourself. Whatever your hate is, if you can learn to empathize, then you've lived a life.

"Tangerines" is a war film quite unlike any other. It deals with the war in the Apkhazeti region of Georgia in 1990 and centres on an old man, a farmer growing tangerines, who gets caught up in the conflict. It's a very simple picture and a very humanist picture. The old man, Ivo, and his neighbour Margus don't want to take sides; the soldiers who die on their doorsteps are not enemies but simply other human beings, deserving of their care and respect. When two soldiers from opposing sides are wounded, Ivo tries to save both of them.It's a reasonably short film and it has the feel of a good short story and although set in the not-too-distant past it feels remarkably prescient, perhaps depressingly so for while the film deals with good people doing what they can for their fellow man, that goodness is not replicated elsewhere. A remarkable piece of work that should be mandatory viewing.

(major spoilers)Directed and written deftly by Zaza Urushadze, "Tangerines" is one of the best foreign movies I've seen in the last several years. It certainly is one of the best anti-war movies I've ever seen. Urushadze succeeds in his theme so well because he does not pull punches at all. Without giving away specifics too much it is a sharply written character drama with Lembit Ulfsak anchoring as a needed patriarch and mentor for war-torn foes, both Chechnyans and Georgians. Ulfsak's character's language is simple and sparse, though the real journey is for the Ahmed character, who by the end of the movie has an emotional enlightening, and through this we are wrenched with sorrow.