Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

I've always been of the opinion that if you took any number of children at birth of diverse nationalities, ethnicities and religions, and allowed them to grow up together without any preconceived biases, they would grow up respectful and tolerant of each other, and more importantly, attain a friendship among themselves. I think that's what's at the heart of "Tangerines" once you strip away such connotations as 'Chechen', 'Georgian', 'Abkhazian' and 'Russian'. Because after all is said and done, people are just people, and have no reason to hate each other at face value. It's only when one's particular background is revealed that someone of a differing circumstance begins to exhibit prejudice and bias. The film, and the actions of Ivo (Lembit Ulfsak), Margus (Elmo Nüganen) and doctor Juhan (Raivo Trass), in overlooking the enmity between Chechen Ahmed (Giorgi Nakashidze) and Georgian Nika (Misha Meskhi), help the two enemies see each other as humans on the opposite side of a struggle for which there will ultimately be no winners or losers when it comes to the finality of death. Particularly poignant is the final scene, in which we learn the reason why Ivo will not return to Estonia, while offering his assurance to Ahmed that he would just as soon have buried him next to his own son in the same manner as Nika (only a little further away, to add an element of ironic humor to the story). I thought this was a thoughtful and provocative film with a discernible message of tolerance in a hate filled world, though at the same time, I have no illusions that a message as simple as the one delivered here, would have any impact on the those whose ideologies take precedence over humanity.

I'm not aware of the political, historical, religious & ethnic differences between the people depicted in the movie, but I can still relate to them. I mean not in the literal sense but just on human level.I think, almost always, majority of the people who are fighting a war are not personally affected by its cause. It's something that's just inculcated in them. They are taught to hate the opposite side.This movie, with a handful of characters, in just so little words, in such a short time, makes you realize that you can empathize with anyone. You should just have the will to do so. Humanity is capable of so much love that there can be no place left for hatred, but sadly we're too busy fighting, every day, every where, in one or another part of the world.This is a captivating movie from the first frame to the last. The background score uplifts and complements the mood of the movie so beautifully. The acting is sublime, the direction is top notch. The story is really simple and all the charm is in the storytelling.It makes you question yourself. Whatever your hate is, if you can learn to empathize, then you've lived a life.

Although I understand why "Tangerines" is a public favorite, I can't really get aboard the hype train regarding this Estonian-Georgian production.Whichever good intentions had the director Zaza Urushadze on producing this anti-war statement, they were lost within a very timid plot, which lacks the confidence to set itself free from all the conventions of this kind of story.I found "Tangerines"'s plot utterly clichéd, predictable, emotionally manipulative, and its characters were carved paper thin. I don't demand intricate stories to tell such simple, yet important lessons like the futility of war, but there's a difference between simplicity and predictability.The great interpretations from the cast (especially from Lembit Ulfsak (Ivo) and Giorgi Nakashidze (Ahmed)) and the compelling visuals of "Tangerines" can't save the film from its thin argument, and even though I don't doubt Urushadze's integrity to tell a story that touches such sensible topics from Estonia's recent History, he can't turn it more compelling than any given Hollywood war movie.

I wasn't planning on writing a review for this one, but when 39 of the 41 reviews written thus far are positive about Tangerines, I have to show the other side of this. I was certainly looking forward to seeing it, as it got an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film, and it was listed as only being 87 minutes. But once it started, it was slow and boring, and I almost fell asleep numerous times. No new ground broken here...another user reviewer compared this movie to "No Man's Land," and thought "No Man's Land" was much better. I found that comparison really interesting, because as I was watching this, I thought of "No Man's Land" too, and thought it was much better than Tangerines. I hope the Oscar nomination was a shot in the arm for film-making in Estonia, and that's always a good thing. But the film itself? Skip it, and watch "No Man's Land" instead if you're in the mood for a film like this.Finally, at least in the DVD in the United States, the subtitles were super-small, making it difficult to read.