Vodka Lemon (DVD)
APPROX. 88 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 2003 - MPA RATING: NR
" (Saleem) makes poetry out of desolation, and creates some striking absurdist moments.
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Hiner Saleem´s "Vodka Lemon" (2003) covers familiar ground from unfamiliar territory.
One of the staples of the international art-house circuit is the broad genre of films which depict everyday life from relatively remote regions of the globe. Bent Hamer´s "Kitchen Stories" (2003), for example, recounted the story of a homeowner in rural Norway, and Abbas Kiarostami´s "The Wind Will Carry Us" (1999) contrasted modern life with the older traditions of a small Iranian village. "Vodka Lemon" brings us another remote setting: a predominantly Kurdish village (Saleem is an Iraqi Kurd who now works from Paris) in post-Soviet Armenia.
The marketing appeal of many of these films centers on the fact that international audiences have never seen (or, in many cases, even heard of) these small towns before, and are curious to learn about them. Such films also run the risk of presenting these settings and their inhabitants as quaint or exotic for viewers to gawk at as if they were visiting the zoo or watching a nature documentary on The Discovery Channel. Fortunately, Saleem avoids this pitfall, though sometimes he walks a fine line.
"Vodka Lemon" provides its share of voyeuristic thrills, including the opening shot in which the protagonist Hamo (Romen Avinian) whooshes across the snow while lying in a bed that is being dragged behind a truck. Even the smallest details of this remote town seem so strange as to be almost alien. In many scenes, characters sit in dining chairs or stools that are incongruously placed outside in the deep snow. The only sign of public transportation is the bus that runs from town to the nearby cemetery.
Hamo is a widower who, like virtually everyone else still left in town, has nothing to occupy his days. Having no means of support, he is forced to sell his personal belongings one-by-one in order to put food on the table; eventually he even has to sell his old Red Army uniform to a spoiled brat who just wants to wear it to impress the girls. Hamo also visits the post office on a regular basis, hoping to receive money from his son who lives in the "big city" but is disappointed every time. Hamo´s only regular activity is his daily visit to his wife´s grave where he eventually meets Nina (Lala Sarkissian) a widow who also visits her husband´s grave regularly. It´s not exactly love at first sight, but eventually their relationship kindles a spark that keeps them going through the cold and (not as) lonely nights.
Saleem´s fondness for his eccentric characters could easily lapse into mawkishness, but he keeps the film grounded in reality by seeding it liberally with moments of black humor. In one scene, Hamo hauls a massive dresser on his back down the snowy road; he can barely keep moving. A passing couple offers to buy it and eventually haggles him down to an outrageously low price that he is forced to accept. But Hamo is actually quite pleased with the deal. The new owner tries to pick up the dresser and immediately throws out his back; he and his wife are stuck waiting for the bus that might not come for hours. Meanwhile, Hamo walks briskly away; he´s out one dresser, but at least he´ll get home quickly.
