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Movie Review: If Only Everyone
http://www.ianyanmag.com/2013/01/20/movie-review-if-only-everyone/
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT - BY JANET KLJYAN ON JANUARY 20, 2013 10:54 AM
If Only Everyone is a thoroughly post-Soviet Armenian film. It's
written in two languages, Armenian and Russian (three, if you count
Karabakhi Armenian), with a Soviet soundtrack and a plot intimately
intertwined with Armenia's relationships with its neighbors - Russia and
Azerbaijan. The film viewing was at the St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral
on 2nd Avenue and 34th Street in Manhattan (where I attended Armenian
school as a child). Staying true to our Armenian roots, the viewing
started a full half-hour late and the planned Skype Q&A session with
Mr. Poghosian was derailed by crappy internet connection.
While I watched, I wondered how everyone else was taking it in. I read
the English subtitles to understand the Russian dialogue; others in
the audience perhaps needed the subtitles to understand the whole
film, or only when the particular dialect of Armenian was beyond their
grasp; and yet others had no need for the subtitles. We experienced
the film in our own ways; but we laughed at the same parts, and cried
at the same parts.
The film's plot can be revealed, since the joy of it is does not stem
from a suspenseful plot. Sasha Maslennikov (played by Yekaterina
Shitova) arrives in Yerevan from Saratov, Russia, carrying a young
birch to plant at her father's gravesite. Sasha's father was Russian,
and her mother was Armenian, killed in the Sumgait massacres of
Armenians by the Azeris that sparked the war between the two nations.
The Sumgait (and Baku) massacres followed as a result of a vote by the
majority-Armenian population of Karabakh to secede from Azerbaijan.
The war ended with ceasefire in 1994. Sasha's father died fighting
beside the Armenians. In Yerevan, she finds Gurgen (`Gugo,' played by
Michael Poghosian), who was the commander of her father's unit and
presumably knows where her father is buried. Gugo confesses he doesn't
know the site of his grave because he was laying in a field hospital
at the time of his death; his coming-to-terms with his survivor's
guilt is integral to his character's development throughout the film.
Gugo takes Sasha to meet his fellow fedayeen, nicknamed `Arj' (`Bear')
in Vayk, who may know the location of her father's grave.
Upon arriving in Karabakh, and conferring with another
brother-at-arms, a man nicknamed `Mult' (`Cartoon'), they discover
that the grave is located beyond the heavily-guarded border - on
Azerbaijani-controlled land. Gugo and Sasha eventually sneak over the
border and plant the birch, when an Azeri shepherd confronts them
weapon in hand. Gugo and Sasha explain their purpose, and the Azeri
man lowers his weapon. He explains that he is a Karabakhi and his
10-year-old son died from an exploding landmine, on a grave beyond the
border, on Armenian-controlled land. Back on home territory, Gugo and
Sasha plant a birch on the gravesite of the shephard's son on his
behalf.
Undoubtedly, the film's humor and its attention to detail are what
make it so enjoyable. Simple and surprisingly uncontrived, everything
about the film makes sense. Though they lack some depth, Arj, Mult and
Gugo are very lovable and have great chemistry together. Aptly named,
Arj and Mult stole the show; Arj, a diabetic with a reckless appetite
for ice cream and hibernation, and Mult, who is perfectly balanced on
the line between character and caricature. I appreciated the scenes of
everyday life: the holiday of Vardavar, making tonir-baked lavash, a
kef, and of course, a kef brawl.
I anticipate that some will say that the film wasn't `political.'
Some will say that this is a flaw, some will say, a strength.
Certainly, `If Only Everyone,' selected as the Armenian entry for Best
Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, lacks the fierce
nationalism and patriotism that characterizes much of the rhetoric of
Armenian politics and the collective identities of Armenians around
the world. In the midst of unsuccessful peace negotiations between the
two nations' presidents, each character in the film struggles to make
peace with themselves - their own losses, their own pain, and their
nagging questions about the war and its purpose.
A wise friend of mine once said - with regard to Armenian-Azeri
relations - that acknowledging someone else's pain does not diminish
your own. The film reflects this very notion - between Gugo and the
shepherd - who developed trust in the instant they acknowledged each
other's loss. Don't misunderstand me: `If Only Everyone' is much too
self-aware and honest to promote a We-Are-the-World-type message.
Instead, it suggests that it's time to move on from brooding over who
committed which inhumanities against the other. It proposes, as my
friend did, that perhaps each side acknowledging the other side's
pain - and thus, building trust - would be enough to actually turn a page
in these ongoing peace negotiations. I can't imagine a more
`political' message.
Now, the film isn't perfect. Sasha's lack of depth is exacerbated by
Shitova's performance: Shitova is much too aware of her own
character's child-like qualities and is, frankly, a very unconvincing
giggler. Poghosian's performance is borderline melodramatic. Moreover,
at times, the film almost seems as if it is geared toward a
non-Armenian audience - it is a little too focused on the `quirky'
aspects of Armenian culture, as an outsider would see them. However,
perhaps this is excusable since Sasha is, in fact, an outsider
experiencing Armenia for the first time (in this regard, If Only
Everyone is eons better than Braden King's film, Here, which was shot
entirely in Armenia). If Only Everyone is clever, brave, and
beautifully filmed, and certainly worth the watch. I look forward to
more like it.
Trailer:
If Only Everyone, directed by Nataliya Belyauskene, written by Michael
Poghosian, screenplay; Theresa Varzhapetyan and Michael Poghosian,
starring Yekaterina Chitova, Michael Poghosian, Vahagn Simonyan, Mher
Levonyan, Karen Jangirov, original music; Vahagn Hayrapetyan.
http://www.ianyanmag.com/2013/01/20/movie-review-if-only-everyone/
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT - BY JANET KLJYAN ON JANUARY 20, 2013 10:54 AM
If Only Everyone is a thoroughly post-Soviet Armenian film. It's
written in two languages, Armenian and Russian (three, if you count
Karabakhi Armenian), with a Soviet soundtrack and a plot intimately
intertwined with Armenia's relationships with its neighbors - Russia and
Azerbaijan. The film viewing was at the St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral
on 2nd Avenue and 34th Street in Manhattan (where I attended Armenian
school as a child). Staying true to our Armenian roots, the viewing
started a full half-hour late and the planned Skype Q&A session with
Mr. Poghosian was derailed by crappy internet connection.
While I watched, I wondered how everyone else was taking it in. I read
the English subtitles to understand the Russian dialogue; others in
the audience perhaps needed the subtitles to understand the whole
film, or only when the particular dialect of Armenian was beyond their
grasp; and yet others had no need for the subtitles. We experienced
the film in our own ways; but we laughed at the same parts, and cried
at the same parts.
The film's plot can be revealed, since the joy of it is does not stem
from a suspenseful plot. Sasha Maslennikov (played by Yekaterina
Shitova) arrives in Yerevan from Saratov, Russia, carrying a young
birch to plant at her father's gravesite. Sasha's father was Russian,
and her mother was Armenian, killed in the Sumgait massacres of
Armenians by the Azeris that sparked the war between the two nations.
The Sumgait (and Baku) massacres followed as a result of a vote by the
majority-Armenian population of Karabakh to secede from Azerbaijan.
The war ended with ceasefire in 1994. Sasha's father died fighting
beside the Armenians. In Yerevan, she finds Gurgen (`Gugo,' played by
Michael Poghosian), who was the commander of her father's unit and
presumably knows where her father is buried. Gugo confesses he doesn't
know the site of his grave because he was laying in a field hospital
at the time of his death; his coming-to-terms with his survivor's
guilt is integral to his character's development throughout the film.
Gugo takes Sasha to meet his fellow fedayeen, nicknamed `Arj' (`Bear')
in Vayk, who may know the location of her father's grave.
Upon arriving in Karabakh, and conferring with another
brother-at-arms, a man nicknamed `Mult' (`Cartoon'), they discover
that the grave is located beyond the heavily-guarded border - on
Azerbaijani-controlled land. Gugo and Sasha eventually sneak over the
border and plant the birch, when an Azeri shepherd confronts them
weapon in hand. Gugo and Sasha explain their purpose, and the Azeri
man lowers his weapon. He explains that he is a Karabakhi and his
10-year-old son died from an exploding landmine, on a grave beyond the
border, on Armenian-controlled land. Back on home territory, Gugo and
Sasha plant a birch on the gravesite of the shephard's son on his
behalf.
Undoubtedly, the film's humor and its attention to detail are what
make it so enjoyable. Simple and surprisingly uncontrived, everything
about the film makes sense. Though they lack some depth, Arj, Mult and
Gugo are very lovable and have great chemistry together. Aptly named,
Arj and Mult stole the show; Arj, a diabetic with a reckless appetite
for ice cream and hibernation, and Mult, who is perfectly balanced on
the line between character and caricature. I appreciated the scenes of
everyday life: the holiday of Vardavar, making tonir-baked lavash, a
kef, and of course, a kef brawl.
I anticipate that some will say that the film wasn't `political.'
Some will say that this is a flaw, some will say, a strength.
Certainly, `If Only Everyone,' selected as the Armenian entry for Best
Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, lacks the fierce
nationalism and patriotism that characterizes much of the rhetoric of
Armenian politics and the collective identities of Armenians around
the world. In the midst of unsuccessful peace negotiations between the
two nations' presidents, each character in the film struggles to make
peace with themselves - their own losses, their own pain, and their
nagging questions about the war and its purpose.
A wise friend of mine once said - with regard to Armenian-Azeri
relations - that acknowledging someone else's pain does not diminish
your own. The film reflects this very notion - between Gugo and the
shepherd - who developed trust in the instant they acknowledged each
other's loss. Don't misunderstand me: `If Only Everyone' is much too
self-aware and honest to promote a We-Are-the-World-type message.
Instead, it suggests that it's time to move on from brooding over who
committed which inhumanities against the other. It proposes, as my
friend did, that perhaps each side acknowledging the other side's
pain - and thus, building trust - would be enough to actually turn a page
in these ongoing peace negotiations. I can't imagine a more
`political' message.
Now, the film isn't perfect. Sasha's lack of depth is exacerbated by
Shitova's performance: Shitova is much too aware of her own
character's child-like qualities and is, frankly, a very unconvincing
giggler. Poghosian's performance is borderline melodramatic. Moreover,
at times, the film almost seems as if it is geared toward a
non-Armenian audience - it is a little too focused on the `quirky'
aspects of Armenian culture, as an outsider would see them. However,
perhaps this is excusable since Sasha is, in fact, an outsider
experiencing Armenia for the first time (in this regard, If Only
Everyone is eons better than Braden King's film, Here, which was shot
entirely in Armenia). If Only Everyone is clever, brave, and
beautifully filmed, and certainly worth the watch. I look forward to
more like it.
Trailer:
If Only Everyone, directed by Nataliya Belyauskene, written by Michael
Poghosian, screenplay; Theresa Varzhapetyan and Michael Poghosian,
starring Yekaterina Chitova, Michael Poghosian, Vahagn Simonyan, Mher
Levonyan, Karen Jangirov, original music; Vahagn Hayrapetyan.