Random Thoughts

Gimmicky as fuck, this film is entirely in Ukrainian sign language (without subtitles) and has the requisite amount of sex and violence to make it “serious”. It’s the standard “spiral into despair” plot so beloved of a certain class of directors.

It’s not badly made, though. And some of the actors are really great. I was going to say that it’s a paint-by-numbers nouvelle extreme film, but the sheer ludicrousness (that’s a word) of the plot makes it kinda different.

It’s about a gang of deaf high school age criminals. Yeah, it’d take forever for the cops to figure out that they’re from the deaf high gschool.

But don’t mind me. Everybody else seems to love the film, except people like Roger Ebert (however, even a stopped clock…), so I’m probably wrong and this is a great film.

The Tribe. Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi. 2014. Ukraine.

Black Ukrainian

• 1 part vodka
• 1 part Tia Maria
• 1 port Southern Comfort
• 3 parts Coca-Cola

You know the think I said about it being impossible to google non-joke cocktails for the ex Soviet countries?

Right.

This post is part of the World of Films and Cocktails series. Explore the map.

I bought the DVD used, but it didn’t work, so I, er, downloaded a backup copy off of the interwebs. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

It looks kinda like the interwebby copy is from a VHS, but it’s quite nice, anyway.

I enjoyed this film. The acting is kinda all over the place, but there are parts that really work. And then then there are parts that seem to go nowhere.

Hollow City. Maria João Ganga. 2004. Angola.

(translation unavailable)

• 1 part coffee
• 1 part coffee liquor
• 2 parts vodka
• 2 parts Amarula
• 1 part simple syrup

Shake with ice. Serve in a cocktail glass filled with ice, and sprinkle cinnamon on top.

Interpreting this recipe from this Youtube clip was a group effort. Thanks to everybody involved!

This post is part of the World of Films and Cocktails series. Explore the map.

Hey! It’s a documentary of a variously abled band. Kinda fun.

The Punk Syndrome. Jukka Kärkkäinen. 2012. Finland.

Cloudberry/Apple Cocktail

• 1 part sugar syrup
• 2 parts cold pressed apple juice
• 1 part cloudberry liqueur
• 1 part white rum
• Some splashes of Angostura bitters

Shake with ice and pour into a cocktail glass.

I had to use Google Translate to try to make a translation, but I think I basically might have gotten it right… it’s yummy, anyway.

I didn’t have any apple juice, so I got to use my juicer! It’s been a year since I used it the last time.

Yum.

This post is part of the World of Films and Cocktails series. Explore the map.

And is this really more of a Georgian film than an Estonian film?

I did not know that there was an Estonian village in Georgia, though. The Soviet Union was funny. But perhaps not in a “ha ha” way.

This film is very on the nose. War is awful. I appreciate the sentiment. It’s heart is definitely in the right place, and there are some powerful scenes. But it’s mostly not all that good.

Tangerines. Zaza Urushadze. 2013. Estonia.

Rolling Estonian

• 1 part vodka
• 2 parts ginger ale
• 5 parts cranberry juice

Pour over ice and serve with lime wedges.

It’s so difficult to find cocktail recipes from the ex-Soviet countries on the interwebs. They’re mostly joke variations on “White Russian”. This is allegedly an Estonian drink, but I think… perhaps not.

This post is part of the World of Films and Cocktails series. Explore the map.