Tangerines

Drama | Estonian, Russian with English subtitles | 87 minutes

Info

Ivo and his friend Margus are Estonians living in a rural village in the newly independent Caucasian country of Georgia. During the war between Russian-backed regions of the country and Georgians seeking independence, Ivo and Margus choose to remain rather than leave for the safety of Estonia. Ivo harvests tangerines on his property while Margus constructs wooden crates to hold the picked tangerines. During a skirmish, a fighter from each side is wounded. Ahmed is on the side of the Russians while Nika is a volunteer for the Georgian separatists. Ivo drags both to his cabin and attends to their wounds. Ahmed and Nika vow to kill each other once they recover. Ivo receives a pledge from each that no killing will happen while both are recovering in his cabin. Gradually, Ivo helps Ahmed and Nika feel a sense of humanity and honor in each other. When Russian ground forces arrive, Ahmed and Nika find they have a reason to face the attacking Russians together.

Cast

Lembit Ulfsak (Ivo) / Elmo Nüganen (Margus) / Giorgi Nakashidze (Ahmed) / Misha Meskhi (Nika)

Why Stream This Film?

Filmed in Guria, Georgia, Tangerines superbly depicts the issues of morality, conflict, reconciliation and pacifism.

Rotten Tomatoes Score (Critics Consensus): 88%
Metacritic Score: 73

Accolades

Academy Awards: Nominated, Best Foreign Language Film
Golden Globe Awards: Nominated, Best Foreign Language Film
Warsaw International Film Festival: Winner, Best Film; Best Director (Zaza Urushadze)

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