Vodka Lemon (2003)
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Reviews Counted: 31
Fresh: 29 | Rotten: 2
Vodka Lemon is a bleak and darkly funny comedy, just like its town and people.
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Critic Reviews: 15
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 1
Vodka Lemon is a bleak and darkly funny comedy, just like its town and people.
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Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 1,185
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Movie Info
A poverty-stricken widower finds new love in a cemetery in this engaging dark comedy from Kurdish filmmaker Hiner Saleem. Hamo (Romen Avinian) is an elderly man living in a small Armenian community which has fallen on hard times since the collapse of the Soviet Union -- where the Soviets at least provided the villagers with free water and electricity, in their current "free" state the locals have to pay for such things, which is no easy task since work is very difficult to find. Hamo, who is
Cast
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Romen Avinian
Hamo -
Lala Sarkissian
Nina -
Ivan Franek
Dilovan -
Rouzanne Mesropian
Zine -
Zahal Karielachvili
Giano -
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All Critics (35) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (32) | Rotten (2) | DVD (7)
This is frostbitten Fellini -- a film that finds fresh beauty and contentment in the wake of centuries of conquering armies.
Top CriticDespite some banalities and Romen Avinian's slightly overdone Hamo, Vodka Lemon is a fresh breath of air, warmer than the icy village in which it takes place. You'll leave the theater with a wink and a smile.
Objectively, it's a sad story of yearning and hardship, but it's structured and performed like a comedy. As life is.
Director Hiner Saleem has created a magical movie that veers, even within scenes, from love story to tragedy to comic relief.
Manages to chill our bones while delighting that part of us that relishes absurdity.
Saleem nourishes his tale of the widower Hamo and widow Nina with a greening bud of romance. And he has wit and warmth to spare for all the movie's denizens.
Worthwhile for the cinematography alone, which is nothing short of inspired, such as the love scene shot through the pale pattern of a lace curtain, which dissolves almost imperceptibly into the whiteout of a steady blizzard.
An appealing film, a window onto a part of the world passed over by history.
Worthwhile for the cinematography alone, which is nothing short of inspired, such as the love scene shot through the pale pattern of a lace curtain, which dissolves almost imperceptibly into the whiteout of a steady blizzard.
The film ends on a surreal image of such remarkable whimsy and good cheer that it will keep you warm for a while after the credits roll.
If you're in need of a little inspiration, a shot of Vodka Lemon will do you nicely.
A bright and acerbic quality accentuates the film's lean, angled outlook on life.
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Foreign Titles
- Wodka Lemon (DE)
[font=Century Gothic][/font]
[font=Century Gothic]"Vodka Lemon" is a droll movie made in the tradition of Kusturica and Kaurismaki about an Armerian village that is still struggling about ten years after the fall of the Soviet Union.(The resplendent location filming during winter helps.) Actually, the movie may be a little nostalgiac for the time before Armenia became independent. At least, the bus service is frequent and there is still hope. [/font]