Citrus Cinema and Bluegrass

Tangerines is a hopeful story of reason, respect and compassion overcoming nationalistic nonsense, bigotry, and misplaced ethnic pride.  Ivo and Markus are the only two Estonians left in the war-torn region of Georgia c. 1992.  They are growing Tangerines and stay out of the way of the fighters.  A skirmish happens on the road between their homes and there are two badly wounded survivors.  Achmed, the mercenary Chechen has met Ivo before and knows he is an honorable man; the young Georgian, Nika is too young to have formed his hatreds.  As they recover they respect Ivo's declaration that his home is a neutral zone and no killing will take place there.  Ivo's goodness, his simple needs and simple ways inspire changes in the two soldiers that are not fully realized until a bizarre encounter threatens all of them.  This is a lovely exploration of goodness that can be found in almost everyone if you know where to look.

Love and Lemons is a Swedish/Norwegian co-production in the vein of Big Night, Eat,Drink, Man, Woman, Todays Special and so many others.  The subject of trying to make restaurant work has been used by film makers so often that it has become a cliché.  This film works because of the performances and the sweet backstory.  The lead, Rakel Wärmländer, is quite good but she is still written to commit numerous acts of reckless idiocy again, directed by a woman! but see it anyway.

My last film of the Fest was The Broken Circle Breakdown from Belgium.  It's a real tearjerker but the wonderful character development carries it out of the maudlin.  Handled in sometimes awkward flashbacks we meet Elise and Didier.  Elise works in a tattoo parlor [sporting much of her profession all over her lovely body] and Didier is a farmer who plays in a bluegrass band.  They fall in love, move in together, have a child and then life punches them in the gut.  The music is authentic, the cast is accomplished [a cameo by Borgman star Jon Bijvoet] and the writing top drawer.