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.

| Original Score: 4/4 | May 25, 2007

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

| Feb 22, 2007

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

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 3, 2005

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.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 12, 2005

Despite some banalities and Romen Avinian's slightly overdone Hamo, Vodka Lemon is a fresh breath of air, warmer than the icy village in which it takes place. You'll leave the theater with a wink and a smile.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 22, 2005

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

| Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 11, 2005

If you're in need of a little inspiration, a shot of Vodka Lemon will do you nicely.

| Jan 13, 2005

Manages to chill our bones while delighting that part of us that relishes absurdity.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jan 7, 2005

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.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 7, 2005

A thematically bleak yet subtly comic film.

| Dec 24, 2004

Vodka Lemon dispenses with the usual conventions of most holiday films at the multiplex.

| Dec 24, 2004

A bright and acerbic quality accentuates the film's lean, angled outlook on life.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Dec 10, 2004

Vodka Lemon is an appealingly wry little film that is as appetizing as its title.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 18, 2004

Hiner Saleem achieves the droll absurdity of a folktale with a vein of magical realism in this exceedingly dry and precise and slow-paced comedy set in a depressed, tiny village in northern post-Soviet Armenia.

| Nov 17, 2004

The situation in these former republics may indeed be dire, but it's a breeding ground for exciting cinema.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 8, 2004

Vodka moves about as fast as the distant ice caps melt.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 8, 2004

There is no small amount of splendor to be found in its frozen panoramas and charm in its idiosyncratic storytelling.

Full Review | Oct 8, 2004

He's in no hurry to tell the story, and viewers drawn in by the warm-hearted tale and charmingly eccentric characters will be in no hurry for the closing credits.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 8, 2004

Diverting but minor.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 7, 2004

A dry, dark comedy.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Oct 4, 2004