Vodka Lemon (2003)

Director:

Hiner Saleem

Writers:

Lei Dinety (writer) and
Pauline Gouzenne (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 November 2003 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

In a remote, isolated village in post-Soviet Armenia, Hamo, a widower with a pitiful pension and three worthless sons...

Plot Keywords:

Armenia | Prostitution | Mountain | Horse | Kurdish

Awards:

6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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
Aramo Guervorguian	...	Jeune homme TV (as Aramo Guevorguian)
Lilit Karaétian	...	Fiancée jeune homme TV
Témour Mhoyan	...	Azad
Edouard Bagdassarov	...	Auto-stoppeur 1
Gourguen Basmadjian	...	Auto-stoppeur 2
Hayk Avaguian	...	Chauffeur bus armoire
Hiner Saleem	...	Homme piano

Directed by
Hiner Saleem

Writing credits
Lei Dinety		(writer)
Pauline Gouzenne		(adaptation)
Hiner Saleem		writer

Produced by
Fabrice Guez	....	executive producer
Pierrick Le Pochat	....	line producer
Michel Loro	....	line producer
Tiziana Soudani	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Michel Korb
Roustam Sadoyan

Cinematography by
Christophe Pollock

Film Editing by
Dora Mantzoros

Production Design by
Kamal Hamarash

Production Management
Margot Luneau	....	production director

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Guillaume Bonnier	....	assistant director
Christine Marrou	....	second assistant director

Sound Department
Michel Filippi	....	adr supervisor
Christian Fontaine	....	sound re-recording mixer
Yves-Marie Omnes	....	boom operator
Frédéric Ullmann	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Viguen Begoyan	....	electrician
Olivier Regent	....	gaffer

Editorial Department
Bruno Patin	....	color timer

Music Department
Alexandre Gasparov	....	musician: piano
Roland Romanelli	....	musician: accordion
Jean-Pierre Smadja	....	musician: oud
Zorica Stanojevic	....	musician: violin

Transportation Department
Manuel Adoyan	....	driver

Other crew
Julie Belthoise	....	location manager
Geraldine Niche	....	production secretary
Delphine Prothais	....	production assistant: France

Production Companies

• Dulciné Films
• Amka Films Productions
• CINEFACTO (in association with)
• Paradise Films
• Sintra S.r.l. (in association with)

Distributors

• ArtCam (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Columbus Film (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Filmtrade (2004) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Isabella Films Distribution B.V. (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Lady Film (Italy) (theatrical)
• Memento Films International (France) (theatrical)
• Memento Films (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• New Yorker Films (2004) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Divisa Home Video (2005) (Spain) (DVD)
• Folkets Bio (2004) (Sweden)
• Kairos Filmverleih (Germany)

Also Known As:

"Vodka Lemon" - Greece (imdb display title)
"Votka Limon" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Wodka Lemon" - Germany

Runtime:

Canada:84 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:90 min

Country:

France | Italy | Switzerland | Armenia

Language:

Armenian | Kurdish | Russian | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Armenia

Company:

Dulciné Films

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: 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.

A Good Lemon

This is a good film -- dark, and funny, and absurd. The setting is post-Soviet Armenia, today. Life is bleak in the Caucasus; the young have either emigrated or, if they have stayed, they've either turned cruel and abusive or are exploited through prostitution or tawdry sexual encounters. Most of the people in village are pensioners, however. Everyone is forced to sell their meager belongings just to get by. Life is tedious -- unemployed men gather in small groups to drink Vodka Lemon and discuss their effete prospects. A widow and widower, strangers, meet during their regular visits to the graves of their deceased partners. A bit of human warm and humor is thus established. But what gives this film its true strength of statement, and sets is tone, are the absurd moments -- it opens with a musician sleigh-riding on his sick-bed; it ends with a piano gliding off down the road into the distance; a man on horseback gallops across the screen at odd moments and for no known purpose. There is no rhyme or reason for the poverty experienced by these characters -- its effects are pointless, random, and unpredictable and absurd.