Vodka Lemon (2003)

In a remote, isolated village in post-Soviet Armenia, Hamo, a widower with a pitiful pension and three worthless sons, travels daily to his wife's grave. There he meets the lovely Nina, who... See full summary »

Director:

Hiner Saleem

Writers:

Lei Dinety, Pauline Gouzenne (adaptation),

Stars:

Romen Avinian, Lala Sarkissian, Ivan Franek

7 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Romen Avinian	...	Hamo
Lala Sarkissian	...	Nina
Ivan Franek	...	Dilovan
Ruzan Mesropyan	...	Zine (as Rouzanna-Vite Mesropian)
Zahal Karielachvili	...	Giano
Astrik Avaguian	...	Avin
Armen Marutyan	...	Romik (as Armen Marouthian)
Armen Sarkissian	...	Conducteur autobus
Hasmik Alexanian	...	Femme acheteuse armoire
Roudik Revondyan	...	Homme Volga
Hasmik Ter-Karapetian	...	Femme de Romik
Svetlana Babelyan	...	Tali
Levon Meloyan	...	Patron Nina
Vahagn-Poncho Simonian	...	Robert (as Vahagn Poncho Simonian)
Gaguik Sarkissian	...	Homme acheteur armoire

Storyline

In a remote, isolated village in post-Soviet Armenia, Hamo, a widower with a pitiful pension and three worthless sons, travels daily to his wife's grave. There he meets the lovely Nina, who is communing with her late husband. The two are penniless--she works in a local bar that is about to close down, while he has been forced to start selling his meager possessions. All seems hopelessly bleak, yet as Hamo begins to court Nina, their unexpected union revitalizes them.

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Plot Keywords:

armenia | prostitution | mountain | horse | kurdish | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

France Italy Switzerland Armenia

Language:

Armenian Kurdish Russian French

Release Date:

21 November 2003 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Votka Limon

Filming Locations:

Armenia

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$9,303 (USA) (8 October 2004)

Gross:

$57,781 (USA) (13 May 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dulciné Films, Amka Films Productions, CINEFACTO

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the last scene, when Hamo and Nina play the piano and move far away from the camera. You can see the shadow of someone pulling them behind the piano.

User Reviews

Kurdish film director shows a humane story of economic hardships set in snow capped mountains of Armenia !!!!!

It is believed that a successful film is recognized not only by a good story but also by the manner in which that particular good story is told.If we take these concepts into consideration and watch "Vodka Lemon",we would find that we are watching a good story which is being told in a very frank and honest manner.In "Vodka Lemon",Iraqi/Kurdish film director Hiner Saleem deftly shows the warmth of human emotions in an area full of snow.His film gives a creditable message that due to their indefatigable will to survive ordinary people can remain warm even in an extremely cold area covered with many snow capped mountains. His film bears testimony to the fact that life goes on for everybody despite various obstacles which are mostly related to money.For admirers of ancient Soviet Union,Vodka Lemon gives many hints related to the nostalgia of the old times.Some of this film's characters seem to suggest that old times were wonderful in former Soviet Union as everybody was able to lead a simple life without having to bother about food and other issues related to money.Apart from its political viewpoint which is fairly innocuous,Vodka Lemon wins viewers' hearts as it has most flavors of human emotions such as comedy,satire and tragedy. In the modern realm of world cinema there are times when talented filmmakers are discovered purely by chance.Hiner Saleem is one such discovery whose film "Vodka Lemon" won the best film prize as part of counter current section at Venice International Film Festival 2003. PS : Film critic Lalit Rao would like to thank a good friend Mr.Philippe Pham for having gifted a DVD of this film for detailed analysis.