1990 in the disputed territory of the Republic of Abkhazia. A grandfatherly Estonian is forced to go from crate-builder to coffin-maker in this “can’t we all get along” anti-war parable that positions two wounded soldiers from opposing camps – a Chechen mercenary and his Georgian counterpart – in the home of a pacifist. From the clumsy, improbable staging of the opening attack, it was pretty much dead from the get-go. The one-dimensional characterizations make it feel pitched and performed by what SNL once jokingly referred to as the “Peace Through Dramatization Players.” Whatever good intentions the film may have had are done in by the standard-issue combat scenes writer-director Zaza Urushadze relies on to end his picture. Needless to say, the treacly dramatics, earnest performances, and oppressive messaging made it a shoo-in for a foreign film Oscar nom. With Lembit Ulfsak, Elmo Nüganen, and Giorgi Nakashidze. (2015) — Scott Marks
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