Vodka Lemon

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Vodka Lemon

2004

1h 30m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

30 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Hamo (Romen Avinian) lives in a small village in rural Armenia after the fall of the Soviet Union. As the village struggles to find its identity in the post-Soviet world, Hamo grieves for his wife, taking the bus to the cemetery every day to visit her grave. One day he meets Nina (Lala Sarkissian), a poor bar owner, who is at the cemetery visiting the resting place of her husband. Hamo and Nina gradually build a relationship founded on commiseration.

Critics Consensus

Vodka Lemon is a bleak and darkly funny comedy, just like its town and people.

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

06/03/2005

2.5/4

This is frostbitten Fellini -- a film that finds fresh beauty and contentment in the wake of centuries of conquering armies.

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Jonathan Curiel

San Francisco Chronicle

02/11/2005

3/4

Director Hiner Saleem has created a magical movie that veers, even within scenes, from love story to tragedy to comic relief.

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Lisa Kennedy

Denver Post

01/07/2005

2.5/4

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.

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Kam Williams

Upstage Magazine

05/25/2007

4/4

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.

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Rex Roberts

Film Journal International

02/22/2007

An appealing film, a window onto a part of the world passed over by history.

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Rob Thomas

Capital Times (Madison, WI)

05/12/2005

3/4

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.

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05/24/2012

(***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Darkly funny. Worth a look.

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10/01/2011

Painfully slow and hardly any dialogue, found it hard to watch.

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05/01/2011

Cold, poverty and disappointment. But happiness is out there for everyone, we just have to take our chances. And vodka can always help.

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10/27/2010

I thought this movie tried to be thoughtful but instead it seemed to drag on with little interest.

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08/21/2010

Beautiful movie that allows space for the raw forces of human nature.

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05/28/2010

I couldn't find the root of the story but it was cute, and I loved the scenery.

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Hiner Saleem

Director

Romen Avinian

Hamo

Lala Sarkissian

Nina

Ivan Franek

Dilovan

Armen Marutyan

Romik

Astrik Avaguian

Avin

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Synopsis

Hamo (Romen Avinian) lives in a small village in rural Armenia after the fall of the Soviet Union. As the village struggles to find its identity in the post-Soviet world, Hamo grieves for his wife, taking the bus to the cemetery every day to visit her grave. One day he meets Nina (Lala Sarkissian), a poor bar owner, who is at the cemetery visiting the resting place of her husband. Hamo and Nina gradually build a relationship founded on commiseration.

Director: Hiner Saleem
Producer: Fabrice Guez
Screenwriter: Hiner Saleem
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: Armenian
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 8, 2004, Original
Box Office (Gross USA): $57.8K
Runtime: 1h 30m