... It was more like an American film made about Armenia, and not a very accurate representation at that. The story - a young girl looking for her father's grave so that she may plant a tree in it's place and lift a weight from her chest- is endearing and quit interesting, especially since it revolves around the now somewhat hostile ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan. However the way they approached this story was extremely disappointing. I am an Armenian, this film was made by Armenians from Armenia in Armenia, but watching this movie felt like watching a movie about a foreign country made my people not of that country for people who are also not of that country. Like a lost tourists impression of a "colorful and wacky" nation. It was simply unbearable at parts and the characters where for the most part, lame. For a cast of characters mostly over the age of 40, Armenian, male and female and hard drinkers, war veterans, and have have you, this film had surprisingly no cussing or adult dialogue, this could very well be rated G for Christ's sake. Of the speaking rolls there is one pretty young woman, who is just a bit too smiley and giggly to be over 20, and a handful of overweight middle aged and elderly men and women who each seem to have the intelligence of tree stump. They make a film and gear it towards an American audience and these are the characters they use to represent Armenia? Gee, thanks.
Now for the good news. This film is beautifully shot. The colors are rich and the landscapes are amazing. The city scenes don't really do Yerevan justice but I guess the script didn't have much to do with that city anyway so that's excusable. The subject matter is interesting and has never been touched on by Hollywood, at least not specifically about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflicts.
I'd say wait for this to hit Netflix, and if a light-hearted film on a heavy matter with wonderful cinematography interests you, check it.
