Estonian villages were formed in Abkhazia in the second half of the 19th century.
Georgian - Abkhasian war, which started in 1992, altered the peaceful life of the estonian inhabitants. Most of them decided to return to their historic homeland.
Their villages turned empty, only a few people remained.
Who are you? - What?
Come outside!
I'm asking, who are you? - Me? Ivo, but who are you?
Are you alone here? - I am.
Are you russian? - No, an estonian.
What is an estonian doing here? - This is my workshop.
What are these boxes for? For explosives?
No, for tangerines (mandarynki).
If for tangerines, then it's fine.
Okay. Do you have any food? We are hungry.
The food is in the house. There. - Come, let's go.
Hop in the car.
TANGERINES (mandarynki)
Who do you have at home? - Nobody, I live alone.
Step in, have a seat.
We will sit, grandfather, but pack the food, we are moving on. - Fine.
And don't be greedy.
Look, what a beautiful girl. - Yes, a beauty.
Where is your family? You have nobody?
They all went home after the war started.
Where to? - To Estonia.
And why did you stay?
I didn't want to leave.
Is this your daughter? - Granddaughter.
And don't say anything about her. Don't even think about it.
I didn't even plan to. Ibrahim.
What's that?
Food.
You are a nice man, grandfather. Sorry that you are so old.
I'm sorry that brave men like you get old.
What is happening out there? An intense war?
Yes, old man. You better leave to Estonia.
Not everyone will be as nice as us.
Does anyone live in these houses? - No, they're all empty.
There is only one guy living near the plantation.
But he only has tangerines (mandarynki). I'm helping him.
We don't care about tangerines.
But the box-making business you have here is fine. Well done!
Margus!
Yes, wait!
Who were these guys? Caucasians, they wanted food.
They didn't visit me. - I know.
Did you get an agreement? - Yes.
They agreed to send on the 7th, 20 soldiers, for one day.
In one day we will not make it. Of course not.
We will pick as much as we can. I already started.
Very well, if we will continue in the same tempo, we will never get anything out of the fields.
In a few days there will probably be an intensive battle over here.
These caucasians said, that soon there will be war over here. - My army leader told the same.
I will make 10 boxes today, then there will be a total of 200, Do you think it will be enough?
Decide yourself. But I think we would need another 50.
Okay.
Don't kill yourself with the work, there are still 5 days until the 7th.
The faster, the better.
(The war news from the radio.)
Margus!
- Yes.
You didn't get hit? - No, I didn't.
What happened here? - I don't know.
This car was driving in the front, the other one was following.
Shot the first car, which hit the fence. Now my fence is ruined.
I was climbing a tree. Hiding.
And then I saw someone shooting with some kind of a weapon, i think it was a Minomet.
We can go nuts here, what was it?
Okay, calm down.
He is wounded, go check what is in the van. And be careful!
Be calm...
What is there? - All of them dead.
So georgian dzighits, where are you? - Calm down.
How are things in heaven, you swines. - Enough!
You shouldn't yell, otherwise you might die.
Finally we were able to stop the bleeding.
But Ibrahim was killed? - Start the car.
These bastards killed him, yes? - Yes.
We are going to bury him now, but you try to calm down.
We are going to invite a doctor for you. Try to move less.
Be careful out there, grandpa, make sure there is nobody following you.
The georgian bastards might be after you.
Don't you worry, just lay there quietly.
Give me my machine gun. - Why? There will be nobody coming here.
Give me. Anything could happen. - I said there will be nobody.
Check the pockets, maybe you will find documents.
For what? Maybe the relatives will start to search for them,
then we can bring them to the grave.
You are right.
These georgians are still boys. Only this one is older.
Yes, still boys.
You know what? Let's bury these georgians separately.
And this one with the beard, separately farther here.
Then we will know who is where. - Okay.
This georgian is still alive.
Don't be afraid, it's us.
Who is this? Ibrahim? Still alive? - No, it's not Ibrahim.
Who then?
Bring water in a bowl. And a clean towel from the kitchen cupboard.
A piece of a bombshell is in his head.
Now we need Juhan, otherwise he is not going to survive.
The other one also needs a doctor.
Go fast and bring Juhan here. And the van needs to be cleaned up.
It's easier with three of us. - I have a good rope.
Wait!
Make sure he will keep his mouth shut. - To whom could he tell? Everyone is gone.
To his wife. - She is already in Estonia.
How are you?
Hurts? - It's fine.
Thanks to Allah, already less.
Who did you bring here?
One georgian. He is heavily wounded.
What? Are you crazy?
I'm going to kill him anyway. Your effort was for nothing.
Okay, forgive me, but they killed my friend.
And you didn't kill two of his? Or can't you count?
I should have killed three. Anyway, I will fix this.
You are nursing him for nothing. In vain.
How is he? - The chechen will be fine in a week.
But the georgian - I don't know. Everything depends on his organism.
What will happen to the piece of the bomb?
Make sure that the injections are done at right times. - Don't worry.
Why is he hallucinating all the time? - It's good that the is hallucinating.
Maybe then he will survive.
I will come back tomorrow, the same time.
How was it? - He ate a bit. Now he fell asleep.
Are we going? - Wait, I will lock the door to the georgian.
We can not be sure, what the other lunatic might do.
Let's drive. Sit behind the wheel.
Turn the wheel to the right. To the right!
Very well!
Okay - push, push.
I thought it's going to explode.
It explodes in the cinema. - The cinema is one big cheating.
How are you? - Not bad.
I finished 20 boxes. You can take them.
These wounded are ruining our business.
So what should I do now? Kill them?
Well I didn't mean that, i was just saying.
Don't complain.
How many did you pick? - All the boxes you brought yesterday are full.
Very good. Did you visit my place?
Yes, I brought the key. - Why didn't you leave it under the stairs?
What if someone would find it? - Who would start looking for the key?
If they want, they will just kick in the door.
How are they? - Chechen is well.
He ate all the food. Seems that he is healing.
But the georgian?
Did you measure his temperature? - What's the point.
His head is really hot, hallucinating all the time.
Leave the key here.
Should I help you carry the boxes?
No need, I'm fine. Do your work.
I went to check the van. There is nothing visible from the road.
What were you thinking? - I will kill him anyway, grandpa.
Put him behind a thousand locks, I will pay back for my friend.
This is a holy thing for us, you will never understand.
To kill a person who is sleeping,
even if he is unconcious? This is holy for you as well?
I didn't know.
I will kill him, when he will start standing again.
Soon there will be rain.
There will not.
They will be here soon. - Who?
The georgians and russians.
And the tangerines will stay in the trees.
You know what this war is called?
The war of citrus. - What do you mean?
It's a war over my tangerines.
Be normal.
They are fighting for the land. - For the land where my tangerines grow.
You have gone crazy with your tangerines.
When the tangerines have been sold, I will go to Estonia - it is now a free land.
The georgian gained consciousness.
Thank you.
Thank you for everything.
Try to speak less.
I have a horrible headache. - Don't worry.
I'm going to make an injection and you will feel better.
So this pig woke up?
Who is this? - Don't mind. He is crazy.
I will kill him anyway, grandpa. - Listen to me!
In my house, nobody will kill anyone, if I don't want it.
But if you are still planning to do it, then you will have to kill me first.
Come on, grandpa. You saved my life. - You heard, what I said.
Okay. I will give my word, that I will not kill him in your house.
But as soon as he will leave, I will do it.
I'm hoping to see you in Estonia.
When are you leaving? - In the morning there will be a car picking me up.
Be careful. - Don't worry.
Half an hour to the airport, and from there already home.
God will guide me.
What are you doing here?
Sell the tangerines and come home.
Our previous life has ended. That's it, the end.
You know very well why I will stay here.
You better think about you granddaughter.
Mari is fine, I'm not worried about her.
Thank you, Juhan.
The medicine is in the drawer. I left a note how to administer it.
Be strong.
Already walking? - I'm feeling better. Got tired of laying.
My clothes fit you.
Take it slowly!
You have to eat a lot.
To gain power. - I don't have an appetite.
I'm telling you, eat!
Do you want tea? - Yes.
Thanks for saving me.
You're welcome. Eat.
I'm apologizing again for what I said.
I'm angry. But normally we respect older people. A lot.
Apology accepted.
Does the wound hurt you? - Not much.
Where did you bury my friend? - In the forest.
What's your name? - Ahmed.
But you don't care about my name?
I care. - I am Ivo.
I'm a chechen, a fighter.
A mercenary? - Yes.
It's clear.
Do you have any family? - I do.
They are the reason why I joined the war. I'm paid well.
You joined the war because of them? - Don't start preaching me.
I said that I respect old people,
but this is not your business. Not your business, Ivo.
You are right, I'm Ivo.
Ivo...
Where is my gun? - In a safe place.
When you will be better, I will return it to you. Also the trophy weapons of the georgians.
These belong to you as well?
I would like to ask you something. - Then ask.
I have to tell you, that if I will give my word of honor,
then I would rather die than break it. - Exactly. Me too.
That means I don't have to lock this door anymore?
Listen Ivo, you estonian,
would rather die than break the word of honor.
But you are asking me, a caucasian, if I will keep mine?
This means everything for us.
I promised not to kill in your house, that means, I will not.
Fine.
But estonian or caucasian, there is no difference.
Ivo, why didn't you leave to Estonia?
This is none of your business, young man.
Our work will be pointless, if there will be no one to help us.
In this time I managed to pick only two boxes. I'm not able to pick any more.
If there will be no help tomorrow, then we will burn.
What did the major excactly tell you?
That they are coming, if nothing will happen in the meanwhile.
If nothing will happen.
Well if they are not sent elsewhere. And they will not be sent
They have been guarding the village road for two weeks already, why should something happen exactly tomorrow.
I don't know.
It would be really weird if,
soldiers would start to pick tangerines in the middle of the war.
You are weird yourself, the major promised.
May the god help us. I'm hoping too.
Don't you worry Ivo. They will come.
(The war news from the radio.)
Slowly, slowly.
There's no hurry.
Good boy.
Sit down.
How are you feeling yourself? - My head is spinning a bit.
That's nothing.
We found this from your head.
And these from your pockets.
Do you want tea? - Yes.
Ahmed, drink your tea, or it will cool down.
Okay, enemies. He is Ahmed and he is Nika.
It's a pleasure.
You know georgian. Probably you know already that there is no reason to be afrait.
I promised to our life-saver that I will not kill you in his house.
So if you want to live, don't go outside.
Don't even put your head out of the window, I will chop it off.
But can he piss outside from the window?
Enough!
Enough.
Forgive me, Ivo.
They didn't come, did they?
Do you want tea?
Doesn't matter, these tangerines.
It is stupid to start making business with tangerines in the middle of the war.
Does he happen to be your relative, by chance?
Margus!
Step in, what are you standing there.
I don't know, I thought that maybe you got offended.
What are you talking about, come in.
Let's sit outside. It's a nice weather.
I don't want to leave them on their own for too long.
Aren't you afraid that they are going to kill each other?
The chechen gave his word of honor.
And you trust him? - I do.
But the georgian? - He too.
Well, if it was the word of honor...
Don't be surprised. There are still people who keep their word.
And both of them are in your house?
Don't nag.
Maybe you want one of them to move to my place?
The battle took place in front of your house, they ran over your fence.
From your house, from upstairs even the van is visible.
It's safer at my place. - You're right.
Come to visit me in the evening.
The boys are going to sleep ealry. Let's drink a bit. - Okay.
So in the evening then.
Don't get angry now... but maybe you will come to Estonia together with me?
Ivo, maybe we will find another song? This one is making me crazy.
But I like it. I'm listening.
But what kind of music do you like, georgian?
This one not. - Georgian music?
I like georgian music. - And also the land that belongs to Georgia?
Where is the Georgian land? - Here.
This, on what you are sitting, is the land of Georgia.
You are sitting on Georgian land. - No.
I'm sitting on an Estonian chair. - Very funny.
Yes, on an estonian chair, which is in an estonian house,
which is standing on the land of Abkhazia.
Listen, have you even been to school? Do you even have schools?
What? - I'm asking if you even have schools?
What are you smiling, foreigner? What did you lose in Georgia?
I'm protecting a small nation from foreigners like you.
Seems, that you really don't have any schools.
You don't understand anything. You don't know anything.
Have you studied history? Read any books?
I will not take your words to my heart. I don't care what you are babbling.
Here you are safe, babble as much as you want.
Listen, let's go outside at once. - You don't even have power to walk.
I could even kill you with a rag, that would not be very manly.
If you will finally be healthy, then we will see, what will happen to you.
You damn bastard!
Don't jump, if your ass doesn't carry you! You little worm.
Go away from my land, you bastard! - Im telling you, you idiot,
this is not the land of Georgia!
Go and sleep, you don't have much time left. - Enough, Ahmed!
I'm sorry, Ivo, but tell him as well to keep his mouth shut.
Your mouth will be shut really soon!
Slowly...
Good morning, Ivo! - Good morning.
How are you? - Getting better.
It's good when you are getting better.
And where is your enemy? Still sleeping?
No, the enemy is not sleeping. Good morning.
How is your head? - Almost doesn't hurt anymore.
If I'm standing. It's difficult to lay down.
But take and example from horses. Sleep while standing.
Was I talking to you? - Do horses even talk?
What a humour. It suits with your intelligence level.
Okay, I will keep myself back.
Do you want tea? - Yes.
I will pour you, brother...?
...on your head? - You can try, you bastard.
Again.
Thank you.
Ivo, is this your daughter?
No, granddaughter.
What's her name?
It's not your business. - Some kind of cars are coming here.
Ahmed, these are abkhazians.
When they will enter, you will turn him in?
Of course not, I have to kill him myself. - Good.
Then we will tell them, that he is Ibrahim and that you killed all the georgians.
And nobody is asking anything from me? Ivo, give me my machine gun!
Don't be stupid.
You can't talk, because you have a wound in your head. That's it. You will sit silently.
Do you know why you have to be silent?
Because first of all they would shoot me.
Even if they are talking bad about georgians, you will be silent.
So, he can't talk because of his wound.
Hello, Ivo. - Hello, Aslan.
Hey, we saw a georgian van.
In the gorge, next to Margus's plantation.
And you have a car at your place.
Aha, Margus. You are here.
What happened here? Where are the georgians?
All dead. The chechens killed them. But we rescued two chechens.
They are here, wounded. - In your house?
Step in, I will introduce you. - Yes, I would shake their hands.
Come in.
Sit, brother, you are wounded. - It's nothing.
Aslan. - Ahmed.
Aslan.
He is Ibrahim, but he can't talk. He got wounded from his head.
What... damn bastards.
How is this possible? He got wounded from his head and tongue doesn't work?
You fool. My neighbour got hit to the head with a brick,
and his legs stopped working.
There are spots in the head, that control all the body parts.
For example, here can be the spot for the leg, here for the hand. Do you understand?
He didn't understand a shit.
I've got good vodka. Sit. - No, Ivo, we are going straight to the battle front.
We heard that the things are fucked up over there.
And what will happen next? - We will chase them out.
Do you doubt in it? - No, Aslan, of course not.
These boys will help.
How many georgians were there? - Three.
They bumped into us on the road and started shooting at once.
We turned around, they were following us.
Ibrahim got a bullet to his head, and we hit the fence.
And drove into the plantation.
I had enough time to hit them with an anti-tank rocket. - Well done, Ahmed.
The bodies are in the van? - No. We buried them in the forest.
It would have been better to throw them on the road, like dogs.
Aslan, they are people too, and young people.
Fine, so be it.
Get well. Most important is, that you would start talking again.
As soon as we will get on our feet, we will join you.
Thank you Ahmed, we are brothers.
Aslan...
Do something good.
I know, it's a bad time at the moment,
but Margus is losing a big tangerine crop.
One major promised to send men, but he didn't.
Maybe you can help us. We will divide the money later.
How many men do you need? - 30 maybe, 40 would be better.
No problem. In the morning the day after tomorrow, the men will be here.
We are camping next to the river for three days.
And don't give any money. Just give the boys a few boxes of tangerines.
Thank you Aslan. We will be waiting.
The day after tomorrow. You have my word.
See, Ahmed, the georgian is outside, do you want to kill him?
I'm too lazy to kill him today.
Margus! Aslan promised to send 40 men for the day after tomorrow.
Very well then!
Only with ashes, Margus. Not with the flame. - I know.
Aren't you cold? I will bring a jacket? - No, thank you, Ivo, I'm not.
What are you planning to do, when you will get better? Back to the war?
You don't know yet? - I know.
And everything is ready.
Now taste and tell me if you have eaten anything like that before.
We will try.
Like we would have never eaten before. - Try it, then talk.
Delicious.
You georgians don't know how to make shashlik.
But you think you can, just like with everything else.
Everything else? What else can't we do then?
Many things. - Like what?
For example you don't know how to fight. You absolutely don't know.
Laugh, as much as you want. You don't know how, but still you are fighting.
And you are losing every time. And this is already funny.
You are talking nonsense. I'm telling, you are uneducated.
You don't know history at all. - That doesn't change anything.
You don't know how to make shashlik, you don't know how to fight. That's a fact.
I will show you what I can do.
Do it, kill me as you promised.
We are not in the house. So try.
Then you will see what a georgian is capable of. Make a try!
Okay. Let's see.
Calm down!
Sit down.
Sit!
It's enough of this.
Otherwise I will honestly kill you the same way I saved you.
What is wrong with you, young men? All the time, I will kill, I will kill...
Who gave you the right for that?
Who? - The war.
Stupid!
I will pour you? - Pour if you want.
I can't pour to you yet. You are sick. But let's say, symbolically.
I don't drink, don't pour to me.
What will we drink for? - For the death!
Take, Margus.
I can't drink for the death.
Why? It's their own mother.
They are the children of death.
Forgive me, Ivo. In the name of Allah, it will not happen again.
What does it matter where you will kill each other, here or somewhere else.
You will get well, go to the battle front, and kill there.
It's foolish to force you to sit behind the same table.
I will drink for life. - No. For the death.
I raised the toast for the death.
Margus? - Yes.
Did you solve your tangerine problem?
Yes. I guess I'm bothering you all with my tangerines. - Not at all.
Look, it's not about money, even though the amounts are big.
It's just that a crop like this is going to waste... It's a pity.
We could help you. - Yes.
Don't bother, I have alreadymany helpers.
Let's see what Ivo will do. I think he got offended.
Ivo didn't get offended, Ivo is pissing.
They were probably trying to bombard Aslan, by the river.
Maybe you will eat something?
Good morning. - Good morning.
Hello, Ivo. - Hello.
I want to give you some money, so that you could go home to Estonia.
What are you talking about? I can't accept such money.
What kind of money? - That kind.
I'm a mercenary, this is my pay.
We respect christianity. - We also respect other beliefs.
But why did you start talking about religion, all of a sudden.
For no reason.
Who were these other georgians to you?
Why are you asking? - I'm interested.
Not very close friends. We met here. But they were good men.
Ibrahim was like a brother to me. We grew up together. - I'm sorry.
We need firewood. I will bring. - Sit down, let me do it.
No, I will go, I can walk around outside as well.
I'm also sorry that your companions were killed. Good men.
You should have taken it, he was offering with his heart.
I will go and help him.
Let me help you. - No, I need to move.
You are looking really often at the photo of my granddaughter.
Why? - I'm not, you're wrong.
No, you are looking. - To be honest, she is really beautiful.
It seems I can't get my eyes off of her.
Forgive me, Ivo.
In reality she is even prettier. Her name is Mari.
She is everything to me.
Mari lives in Estonia? - She used to live in this house.
She left together with the others, when the war started.
Why didn't you leave? Was it difficult to leave from here?
You love this place here?
I love. And I hate.
Do you have any family? - Only my mother.
My father died ten years ago.
Do you have any sisters or brothers? - No, I'm the only one.
And what were you doing during the peace time?
I'm an actor. Playing in a theatre. - Really?
In the movies too? - Rarely.
There are no movies produced here anymore. There is no money.
And then you decided to join the war. - Yes, I felt the obligation, and went.
I didn't even tell my mother.
When the war is over, I will come to Thibilisi
and I will watch you acting. Later we will bring back the memory of these days.
And Ahmed. - No. Ahmed will be sitting in the theatre with me.
And he will applaude for you.
Come here! You!
Don't show yourself! Sit quietly!
Where are the machine guns? - There, under the bed.
But don't touch them.
What are you smiling, you georian? - I'm not georgian.
Are you sure? - He is one of you, men.
Stay put, old man. - I'm a chechen.
Then say something in chechenian language. - I'm a chechen.
I came to fight on your side, got wounded and he helped me to heal.
Comrade officer, I know your major. - Be silent!
Are you stupid or what? Say something in chechenian.
Say something, you dickhead!
And what does it mean?
No, I think he is a georgian.
Are you deaf? - That was "dickhead" in chechenian.
Shit, shoot him! - No, he is one of us!
I told you to shut up! Fill my order!
Captain, maybe he is one of us? - No!
Nika, throw me the machine gun!
Cover me!
That's it Nika, that's it! They are dead.
Margus!
Dickhead...
Ready? - Yes.
Only your cross is left.
Like that? - Yes.
And Nika? - We will bury him to another place.
Where? - Next to my son.
How did he die? - He fell when the war started.
Who killed him? - God knows.
He went to the war right in the beginning. To protect our land, he said.
I tried to convince him not to go,
I told him that this is nobody's war, but he wouldn't listen.
So the georgians killed him? - Yes.
But what difference does it make? - How so?
You buried a georgian next to your son.
Ahmed, does it matter?
Answer me! - No, it doesn't.
Are you going straight home? - I miss my family.
Ivo, tell me...
If I would have been killed instead of Nika,
would you have buried me next to your son? - Yes.
Maybe a little farther.
I really don't know, how to thank you.
Go! I don't like goodbyes.
Translated by: "The anonymous"