Product Description

Hiam Abbass of THE VISITOR won the Israeli Academy Award as Best Actress for her powerful portrayal of a lonely Palestinian widow who tends her family s West Bank lemon grove. But when the new Israeli Defense Minister and his wife move next door, the government demands that the trees be uprooted. Can two women from opposite sides of the fence find justice in a country and culture divided by intolerance? Ali Suliman (THE KINGDOM) and Rona Lipaz-Michale co-star in this acclaimed drama based on a true story from writer/director Eran Riklis (THE SYRIAN BRIDE) that the The New York Post calls a stunning performance by Abbass and a daring message from Riklis.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5811 in DVD
• Brand: MPI HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2009-11-03
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: Hebrew
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 106 minutes

Features

• LEMON TREE (DVD MOVIE)

Amazon.com
Director Eran Riklis makes his home in Tel Aviv, but his films tend to occupy the borders between nations. Co-written with Suha Arraf, Lemon Tree serves as a companion to their previous collaboration, The Syrian Bride. Hiam Abbass from The Visitor returns as Salma Zidane, a widow who tends the family lemon grove along the Green Line dividing Palestine from the West Bank (Arraf and Abbass are both of Palestinian-Israeli descent). When the Israeli defense minister, Israel Navon (Doron Tavory), and his wife, Mira (Rona Lipaz-Michael), move in next door, his security detail advices him to destroy it since terrorists could use the trees for cover. After Navon conveys his intentions, Salma springs into action, hiring a recently-divorced lawyer, Ziad Daud (Ali Suliman, who co-starred with Abbass in Paradise Now), to take her fight to the courts. Initially, Navon has all the power and Salma has none, but Mira, who also suffers from empty nest syndrome, feels for the lonely woman next door--and Ziad finds her compelling in ways that Salma's Palestinian neighbors finds inappropriate (he's younger and rumors link him to a politician's daughter). Then the media gets wind of the skirmish and paints it as a classic David versus Goliath story, but the Israeli Supreme Court will have the final say. Like the The Syrian Bride, Lemon Tree presents a parable about the Middle East, but the characters feel more like real people than cardboard cut-outs, and Abbass commands the screen with her calm, determined presence. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews

"Goals Are Acheived Only If You Draw Boundaries"
Note: Presented in Hebrew with English subtitles.

Summary: The 2008 Israeli film 'Lemon Tree' stars the alluring Hiam Abbass in the role of Salma Zidane a Palestinian widow struggling to maintain her home and lemon tree orchard against the encroachment of her new neighbor Israel Naron (Doron Tavory), the Israeli Prime Minister. The high ranking official sees the orchard as an imminent danger to his families safety, a place where terrorist and snipers can move freely about hidden behind the foliage. Within a matter of days a fence and imposing guard towers rise between the two properties robbing Salma of her privacy and personal space. If that wasn't enough problems escalate to the point where the continued existence of the lemon trees are threatened. Using his political power and influence the Prime Minister plans to have the orchard destroyed thus threatening Salma's only source of income. Can one lone Palestinian woman fight and defeat the "Powers that Be" while maintaining her dignity and self reliance in a male dominated society?

Critique: 'Lemon Tree' explores on of the most reoccurring themes in Israeli films, the theme of boundaries. The lemon tree orchard symbolizes more than just a physical buffer between hostile neighbors. It is a boundary between rich and poor, the powerful and the powerless, Jew and Arab, male and female. While the storyline moves along rather slowly the introspective nature of the film more than makes up for the pace. As the viewer gains deeper and deeper glimpses into the lives and concerns of both households one begins to sympathize not only with Salma but with Mira (Rona Lipaz-Michael), the Prime Minister's wife who finds herself torn between the opposing positions of the two rivals.

I'm a big fan of Hiam Abbass and as always she delivers a stellar performance. She's strong, defiant and determined while at the same time retaining a sense of sensitivity, vulnerability and feminism that is irresistible. Well worth a watch or two. Another film you might enjoy if you like this one is 'The Syrian Bride'.