Movies We've Just Watched discussion
Foreign Films
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The Lemon Tree (Eran Riklis, 2008)
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Just saved in my Netflix queue, thanks Phillip!!
this is one i know you will enjoy, alex. let me know when you have a chance to check it out.
*Audience Award - Berlin Film Festival
The Lemon Tree is a really fine film exploring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the guise of a simple problem: the Israeli minister of defense moves to the border of the west bank and his security advisors demand that his Palestinian neighbor cut down her grove of lemon trees because it presents a security risk (the lemon grove offers an easy hiding place for someone poised to attack his home). The lemon grove is owned by a poor Arab widow whose entire livelihood comes from the sale of her lemons and the grove was given to the woman by her father.
The woman finds a lawyer to help her overturn the order to cut down her trees and this personal conflict between neighbors initiates a battle that reaches epic proportions.
The acting is superb and the character development of the two central women (the owner of the lemon grove and the wife of the minister of defense) allows for a rich drama.
I highly recommend this film! It really took me by surprise, I wasn't prepared for the humanity it explored. I feel like Im stumbling for the words here but do yourself a favor and check this out....it may be leaving the theaters soon but it willcertainly come to DVD, so pop it in your netflix queue!