Tangerines (film)

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Not to be confused with Tangerine (film).
Tangerines
File:Tangerines film.jpg
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
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  • 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 Nika (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 Nika 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 Nika to defeat the Russians. But Nika is then shot dead by a wounded Russian, and Ahmed finishes off Nika's killer.

Ivo and Ahmed bury Margus and Nika. Ivo reveals that the Nika'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 Nika, 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 Nika 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 Nika, a wounded Georgian soldier, a Christian with shrapnel in his head. His hatred for Ahmed 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

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Academy Awards 22 February 2015 Best Foreign Language Film Tangerines Nominated [8]
Gaudí Awards 31 January 2016 Best European Film Tangerines Won [9]
Bari International Film Festival 12 April 2014 Best Picture Tangerines Won [10]
Fajr International Film Festival 4 February 2014 The Crystal Simorgh for Best Screenplay Zaza Urushadze Won [11]
The Crystal Phoenix for Best Picture Zaza Urushadze and Ivo Felt Won
Golden Globe Awards 11 January 2015 Best Foreign Language Film Tangerines Nominated [12]
International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg 10 November 2013 Audience Award Tangerines Won
Special Award of Mannheim-Heidelberg Tangerines Won
Jerusalem Film Festival 19 July 2014 In the Spirit of Freedom Awards in Memory of Wim van Leer Zaza Urushadze and Tangerines Honourable mention [13]
Satellite Awards 15 February 2015 Best Foreign Language Film Tangerines Won [14]
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 30 November 2013 Best Estonian Film Tangerines Won [15]
War on Screen 5 October 2014 Jury Grand Prix Tangerines Won [16]
Warsaw International Film Festival 20 November 2013 Audience Award: Best Feature Film Tangerines Won [17]
Best Director Award Zaza Urushadze Won

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Review: Estonians as Conflict Mediators in 'Tangerines' news.err.ee, 11.11.2013
  3. ↑ Warsaw 2013 Review: TANGERINES, An Engrossing Morality Tale That's Also A Lot Of Fun
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 72ND ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE® AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Bari International Film Festival 2014
  11. ↑ 32nd Fajr International Film Festival 2014
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ War on Screen 2014
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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