THE 100 BEST WAR MOVIES: #97. Tangerines (2013)

 

                        “Tangerines” was an Estonian-Georgian production that was written, directed, and produced by Zara Urushadze.  It was filmed in Georgia (the European one).  It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards and won numerous awards at film festivals.  The movie is set in the War in Abkhazia (1992-3).  This extremely nasty and complicated civil war was the Georgian government versus Abkhaz separatists who were supported by Russians and militants from the North Caucasus.  The conflict was marred by numerous human rights violations and atrocities.  Urushadze dedicated his film to Levan Abashidze – a famous Georgian actor who was killed in the war.  The movie is a small story set in that giant mess.

                  In 1992, two ethnic Estonians are the sole remaining inhabitants of a village.  The rest of the villagers have fled the war by going back to Estonia.  Ivo (Lembit Ulfsak) is a box maker.  He makes wooden boxes for his neighbor Margus (Elmo Nuhanen) who grows tangerines.  They are trying to save the crop while people are killing each other just down the road.  The friends are living in no man’s land and not taking sides.  One day, Ivo has a firefight in his front yard between Caucasians and Georgians.  There are only two wounded survivors – one from each side.  Ivo takes in Nika (Mikheil Meskhi) and Ahmed (Giorgi Nakashidze).  They want to kill each other, but  agree to a tension-filled truce within Ivo’s house.  This situation continues for weeks as the two recover.  It is definitely awkward.  And it’s going to get more awkward when the war knocks on the door again.

ACTING:   A                        

ACTION:  N/A                     

ACCURACY:  N/A 

PLOT:  A                  

REALISM:  B                      

CINEMATOGRAPHY:  lots of long takes

SCORE:   nothing special, but that works well;  ethnic music punctuates the moodier moments                  

BEST SCENE:  a group of Chechens show up

BEST QUOTE: 

            Ahmed:   I will avenge my friend. This is a holy thing for us old man, you don't understand.

Ivo: Killing a sleeping man, when he is unconscious, is that a sacred thing too? I didn't know.

                  “Tangerines” should not be as good as it is.  The premise is trite and unoriginal and could have been set in many other wars, including the American Civil War.  It is one of those movies that within five minutes you know it is going to be unambiguously anti-war.  It is virtually impossible to make a civil war movie that is not anti-war.  But is important to show that modern civil wars are just as nasty as those in the past.  The most interesting thing about “Tangerines” is it focuses on the contrast between civilians just wanting to live their lives and that of the fighting men who are obsessed with killing their opponents.  As with many civil wars, there is an ethnic factor that increases the inhumanity of the conflict.  The movie is a slice of that.    

                   Given the set-up, you are just wondering who will survive because you know at least half of the quartet ain’t gonna make it.  That turned out to be true, but how we get to the bleak ending is powerfully done.  The movie is thought-provoking.  There are long takes and provocative dialogue.  The cast is great and the characters are finely drawn.  By the way, there are no females in the movie.  There is also no villain.  The four men who are thrown together are all positive characters.  Ivo is a bit of a saint in a movie that has no religion.  But it was important to anchor the movie around a person who has kept his humanity.  It is a great performance by Lembit Ulfsak.

                   The relationship of Nika and Ahmed is predictable and unrealistic for two men on opposite sides of this horrific war.   I think if the movie had come out soon after the war (instead of 25 years later), Georgians would have said:  “yeah, right!”   If you are not familiar with the war (and I wasn’t), the movie does not try to explain it.  It is a very micro view.  However, you will find out that the war was f’ed up.  Fittingly, you will not be able to determine which side was right.  If either.  The war invades Ivo’s life, he does not go seeking it.  This is one of the themes of the movie.  A civil war will find you eventually.  Another theme is that individuals can not overcome war.  It is a monster that devours.

                  I have seen similar movies that point out how civil wars are messy and especially for civilians.  Movies like “No Man's Land”, “Pretty Village, Pretty Flame”, and “Prisoners of the Mountain”.  “Tangerines” is better and if you have not seen any movies about modern European shit-storms, it is a good starter.  You really won’t have to watch any of the others, you’ll get the basics from “Tangerines”.  First, migrate as soon as the conflict begins.  Second, you know that other ethnic group that resides in your country, they are subhuman.  But, if you really got to know an individual in that group, you would learn they are actually human like you.  Lastly, you will find that neither side is right.  So, if you are using movies like “Tangerines” to find out who the good guys were in the war, forget it.  If you want to find out how civil war effects civilians as well as warriors, it will entertain as well as enlighten you.