The Oscar nominees list for Best Foreign Language Film has always been an annual oasis filled with quality. Getting that deserved attention in 2015 is this compact drama set during the Georgian Civil War. There, humble Estonian tangerine harvester Ivo is forced to nurse and house two badly injured soldiers from either side of the conflict – a Chechen mercenary and a Georgian.
The film hardly ever strays from its one location, allowing the tension to brew unobstructed as both men slowly regain their health. But under Ivo’s rule and seemingly blind trust, the pair is asked not to kill in his household. Once they’re up and walking, the soldiers temporarily restrain themselves from violence in a mutual show of respect and gratitude towards their saviour.
This mutual ceasefire forces the soldiers into a pocket of peace – the same peace they’ve been fighting for. With this simple premise in place, Tangerines uses its small scale to say something big, converting the initial suspense into something more thematically and philosophically powerful as the hypocrisy of war is smoothly laid bare. For anyone looking for an uncomplicated anti-war argument painted by historical insight, superb performances and airtight direction, see this.
