Synopsis
War in Abkhazia, 1992. An Estonian man Ivo has stayed behind to harvest his crops of tangerines. In a bloody conflict at his door, a wounded man is left behind, and Ivo is forced to take him in.
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Cast
- Lembit UlfsakIvo
- Giorgi NakashidzeAhmed
- Elmo NüganenMargus
- Misha MeskhiNika
- Raivo TrassJuhan
- Zura BegalishviliAslan
- Jano IzoriaAslan's Soldier
- Gia GogishviliAslan's Soldier
- Vamekh JangidzeAslan's Soldier
- Aleko BegalishviliAslan's Soldier
Recommendations
- 88
New York Post
Ivo’s farmhouse looks leftover from another century, which gives a timeless feeling, as does the regal bearing of Ulfsak and the dry humor of the script. The film telegraphs its pacifist message early on, but it’s still deeply affecting. - 80
Screen Daily
Its impact sealed by across-the-board strong performances from its all-male cast, Tangerines is a film about loss and belonging, about rootedness and departure. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
The film turns out to be highly effective, thanks to the skills of the actors and director Zaza Urushadze. - 80
Variety
With nearly five-decade screen veteran Ulfsak setting the wry, soulful tenor, Tangerines balances humor and seriousness in deft fashion, its delicacy abetted by all thesps and design contributions. - 75
Movie Nation
A simple tale, sharply drawn and smartly told, a portrait of a people, a place and a centuries-old conflict that this wise yet myopic citrus farmer cannot get his mind around any more than we can. - 70
Village Voice
Interior scenes focus theater-like on the dining room table-as-vortex: Threats and insults whip about, but, finally, so do forays of friendship. - 60
The Dissolve
Too blunt and didactic to convey the futility of war with the complexity the subject demands, Tangerines works primarily as a showcase for its trio of lead actors, who work hard to make their characters’ gradual yet quick thaw seem not just credible, but inevitable. - 60
Time Out
Urushadze’s excellent cast imbues their thinly drawn characters with a great deal of life, but the roles are so transparent that the film feels like more of an advertisement for peace than it does an argument for it.
