Best Documentary
Armenia, Resistance Fighters from the Caucasus | Deadliest Journeys
Armenia is said to be like an inaccessible fortress. At the crossroads of Asia and Europe, 90% of the territory of this small Caucasian republic rises above 1000 meters. On December 7, 1988, in eight seconds, a terrible earthquake wiped out entire villages: 30,000 dead. Many have since left. Arman, 32, and his father have decided to stay. Before the earthquake, their village had just over 1,000 inhabitants. Today, they are only twelve. With their ancient Jigouli, a robust Russian car, they face the snowy tracks to deliver to the lonely villagers their only wealth: potatoes. Independent since 1991, following the collapse of the USSR, Armenia is slowly rebuilding its economy. Through the tenacious mist, the carcasses of old Russian factories emerge like ghosts. Here, work is rare Aris is an engineer. With five of his friends, restaurateur or even taxi, they will improvise lumberjacks: the only job they have found to earn a small salary. Their antique Russian truck still has to pass through the forest roads! Armin is Russian, Arman Armenian. The two friends, great lovers of homemade vodka, live halfway around the world: the village of Tsar, set on a plateau, bordered by sheer cliffs. Once a month, they have to bring the women of the village to stock up, their survival depends on it. The nearest town is only forty kilometers away, but the snow and the vertiginous track make the trip perilous.
Directors: Julien Boluen, Jean Christophe Brisard
Published Dec 26, 2022
