|
Information about the film
"Lemon Tree" was directed by
|
Eran Riklis
|
Produced by
|
Eran Riklis
|
Written by
|
Eran Riklis
Suha Arraf
|
Starring
|
Hiam Abass
Ali Suliman
Rona Lipaz-Michael
Doron Tavory
|
Music by
|
Habib Shehadeh Hanna
|
Cinematography
|
Rainer Klusmann
|
Editing by
|
Tova Asher
|
Distributed by
|
IFC Films
|
Release date(s)
|
March 27,
2008
|
Running time
|
106 minutes
|
Country
|
Israel, Germany, France
|
Language
|
Arabic, Hebrew
|
Box office
|
$6,628,437
|
Director : Eran Riklis (Hebrew: ערן ריקליס, born October 2, 1954) is an Israeli filmmaker.
His films include Cup Final (1991), The Syrian Bride (2004), and Lemon Tree (2008).
He was born in 1954 and he studied at the National Film and
Television School in England. He is married to Dina Riklis and they have two children, a daughter,
Tammy, and a son, Jonathan. The family lives in Tel
Aviv.
The official film trailer
Where does the film take place ?
The film plot
Salma, a
Palestinian widow - living there for decades - has to stand up against her new
neighbor, the Israeli Defence Minister, when he moves into his new house
opposite her lemon grove, on the green line border between Israel and the West
Bank. The Israeli security forces are quick to declare that Salma's trees pose
a threat to the Ministers safety and issue orders to uproot them.
Together with
Ziad Daud, a young Palestinian lawyer, Salma goes all the way to the Israeli
Supreme Court to try and save her trees. Her struggle raises the interest of
Mira Navon, the Defence Minister's wife, trapped in her new home and in an
unhappy life.
Despite their differences, and the borders between them, the two
women develop an invisible relationship, while forbidden ties grow stronger between Salma
and Ziad. Salma's legal and personal journey lead her deep into the complex,
dark and sometimes funny chaos of the ongoing struggle in the Middle East, in
which all players find themselves alone in their struggle to survive.
As usual,
the Palestinian cause is dismissed, the movie ends with the Israeli wife moving
out (obviously separating from her husband), a tall concrete wall has been
built between the two properties and a final camera shot shows us half the
trees have been cut right down.
Some reviews
Review n°1 : "Lemon Tree" is a very good movie which tells the story of a Palestinian widow (Salma Zidane) in the West Bank, living in her father's house for decades - she is around 45 years old, her dad was also in this house, therefore her family was there for more than 100 years. Her daughters are grown-ups and live somewhere else in Palestine, and her son emigrated to the USA, working in a restaurant. She takes care of the Lemon Tree field with an old man (a friend of her dad).
All of a sudden: noise and dust. Someone is moving into a big new house build right next to her field ... on the Israeli occupied land side. The Defense minister of Israel is moving in. And of course, following the advice of Security, plans are made to made the "area" safer. The Lemon Tree have to go. They could offer protection and hideouts for terrorists. The decade old field of beautiful trees must be uprooted.
The movie then follows Salma's legal struggle against the powerful Israeli state. She is helped by a young local lawyer (Ziad Daud). A love relationship starts between Salma and the lawyer, which is not well received by the local men (this side of the story is barely approached). At the same time, a distant relationship appears between Salma (the Palestinian woman) and Mira Navon (the Israeli wife of the minister).
From local court to the supreme court, Salma fights for the right of Palestinians to enjoy their land, the land where their parents have built houses and lived for decades.
The movie is sometimes over-dramatic. Israeli are majorly painted as the evil doers in the area. And in the end, the Palestinians lose all except their dignity.
This is a striking case, inspired by a real story. It shows you, meters by meters, Colons and Settlers can gain land, gain power and put down local people, as it happened in History in many part of the world.
A good movie.
Review n°2: Salma
Zidane, a Palestinian widow living near the 'green zone' that separates Israel
and the West Bank, has been living in the same place all her life. The lemon
trees that surround her house are her only source of money. Peace
is about to be broken when the house on the Israeli side is finished. The
occupant is the Israeli minister of defense, Israel Davon, and his designer
wife Mira.
Suddenly, the whole place undergoes a transformation because the
security unit that protects the safety of the minister says the grove
on the other
side can be a hiding place for terrorists who could plan an attack
against the minister. Salma is sent a letter. Not being able to read, or
speak Hebrew, she must and see Ziad Daud, a lawyer. He agrees to assist
her in taking her
case to court.
Things conspire against Salma. The first step is denied because in the
appropriation law there is a stipulation for compensation only. Salma and Ziad
decide to take it to the highest court. Ziad, a divorced man, feels an
attraction for Salma, who, at 45, shows a beauty, not only in her person, but
in the sweetness she exudes. There are some people in the community that do not
take kindly the closeness Salma and Ziad show.
Mira, who looks through her windows to the now fenced lemon trees, begins to
change her position in the situation that was created by their arrival.
Although not a word is exchanged, the two women show they understand one
another. Things come to a head when the minister sends one subordinate to
gather lemons for the house opening. Salma, who has secretly been tending the
trees, goes into a frenzy seeing her precious fruit being stolen. She realizes
she is helpless against a strong opponent.
Unfortunately, Salma's plea at the Israel Supreme Court is denied. As a
solution, the presiding judge orders the trees can only be of a certain height
so the security guards can watch for enemies trying to harm the minister and
his family. Mira, who has been in the courthouse during the trial, realizes her
marriage is over. Salma ends up by herself as Ziad marries a younger woman.
Eran Riklis, the director of "The Syrian Bride", working with Suha
Arraf, who also contributed to that film, team again to give us another account
involving neighboring Israelis and Palestinians, two factions that have been in
conflict for a few thousand years without any indication their problems will
ever be solved. The story plays like a fable; the moral of the story is that
the more powerful side will always come on top. Salma is too small to fight
such formidable enemy. Minister Davon is seen at the end of the story looking
at the wall that has been erected around his property, and much of Israel to
keep him away from terrorism and from a harmless poor woman, now without her beloved
lemon trees.
The story of two women...
 |
The story of two women |
 |
Salma: a poor Palestinian farmer.
Mira: a wealthy Israeli woman, married to the Minister of defense.
Which one looks STRONG -----MISERABLE-----PROUD-----POOR-----BORED----DETERMINED----SAD ?
A bit of history to understand the political context better
 |
 |
| The main characters |
The minister and his wife |
 |
 |
| Salma and the old farm worker |
Salma and Ziad in court |
 |
 |
| Salma has become famous! |
Mira and Salma are smiling... |
|
|