Lemon Tree

This movie is available here since April 23rd, people are queuing to see it and nevertheless, nobody shows up with a comment. LA VISITE DE LA FANFARE, also an Israeli film deserving to be called "a shake-hands tentative with a neighbor country" was nice, but the characters did not look Egyptian to me (and I've seen quite a lot of Egyptians in my life).LEMON TREE is perhaps a true story, although I don't believe it. It is however one of the most valuable attempts to show the unsolvable problem existing between two nations who have been fighting for more than 60 years to find a solution of cohabitation. The situation: an Israeli prominent figure (Minister of Defense, not less) has built himself a house next to a field of lemon trees owned by a Palestinian widow. The Army (I hate the word Tsahal, doesn't sound congenial to me) has no other solution than to erase the whole field, otherwise a Kamikaze fighter may find a base for throwing dangerous warfare. The case is brought to the Supreme Court of Israel, which comes to a solution supposed to satisfy everybody and constitute a large step towards a better understanding. Go and see this movie, and tell me if the "verdict"

is not another rendition of the famous King Solomon judgement. You won't regret it, because the movie is excellent. I'll tell you no more. Harry Carasso, Paris, France

This is about the 45-year-old Palestinian widow. She supports herself by these lemon trees. Then, the Israeli minister of defense becomes her neighbor, including security problems. The greatest of these problems are the widow's trees.

But there's also a quite silent love story here, between the woman and her much younger Palestinian lawyer. It's not very physical, but the passion is evident in their eyes.

Movies like this makes more for your interest in this very tragic conflict, than any action performance. To be recommended, if you want to know more about people. And politics.

Heart-rending. A nuanced film about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

I don't pretend to know a lot about this conflict, but I felt this film had much to say. The characters and the inner conflicts they feel are very well brought out.

There is a lot of strength and feeling in this movie. Neither side is presented as being perfect and having all the 'right' solutions.

The film is slow moving and very thoughtful and I appreciate that when I compare it to the histrionics in most films today. There is also a complexity in the characters and story. The scenes shown of Israel and the Palestinian camps, the check-points, the wall.. are most informative.

Hiam Abbass (The Visitor) is outstanding as Salma, a Palestinian widow with a lemon grove that ekes out a meager living. Unfortunately, the Israeli Defence Minister moves in next door and wants the lemon grove gone for security reasons.

Just like governments everywhere, there is no concern for the effect of rulings on individuals. The Defence Minister (Doron Tavory) is too busy chasing skirts to care. His wife (Rona Lipaz-Michael) cares, but has to put up with his philandering and his dismissal of her concerns. But Salma won't give up without a fight.

She certainly gets no help from the local Palestinian politicians, who don't like rocking the boat.

She goes to a local court and is dismissed, so she decides to go to the Israeli Supreme Court. Mira (Lipaz-Michael) gets more involved as the case drags on. The relationship with her lawyer (Ali Suliman) also gets more involved.

The film shows the impossibility of Palestinian - Israeli relations ever getting better.

Yes I know a lemon isn't grey, but yellow (or green, if it ain't ripe yet), but I'm talking about the grey area this movie does try to shine a light upon, with more than a light human touch coming with it. You get both sides of a dilemma, that concerns the aforementioned (see English title) lemon tree(s).

The director and the stars where at the screening I watched. There were many questions, one concerned the message of the movie. Interestingly enough the director himself is a Jew. But he still sees the craziness of the Gaza/border to other countries. And he also had an "All-Star" cast, that shows that there must not be any hate between the races. And the movie itself raises a few questions, about a few hot topics. It's a movie worth watching, not only for those that are afflicted by the themes of the movie, but also for everyone else!