This was a very interesting movie that focused on the tension between Israel and Palestine. These two neighboring nations have had tension for a long time. This movie puts a creative twist on this situation from a lemon tree grove that ran a long the Israeli border. The main character is a Palestinian woman named Salma Zidane. Salma is a lower class woman that makes a living by harvesting the lemons from her grove that her grandfather and father planted. Her peaceful livelihood is in jeopardy when she gets a new neighbor, the Defense Minister of Israel. Salma is court order and demanded to the destruction of her lemon grove due to the safety of the defense minister. She refuses and tries to fight for her livelihood in court. At first she has no luck, but she is a determined woman that won't take no for an answer. She rejects the courts settlement offer and proceeds with taking her case to the Supreme Court. After a long court case she is awarded by only having 150 trees cut down. To the people of Palestine thats a small victory but to Salma part of her life is taken away. The defense minster and his wife don't agree with the secret service assessment that the grove is dangerous but are too cowardly to speak up because doing so could put the defense ministers job in jeopardy. However, Navon's wife, Mira, speaks up and is saddened by the end result of the case. The movie ends with a wall running along the boarder that is suppose to protect Israel from invading nations. What once use to be a magnificent view of lemon trees now turns into a cement wall. Mira is so frustrated with the result that she leaves her new house. Its saddening to see such a beautiful, harmless grove be destroyed due to fear of safety. If the defense minister spoke up, he would still have his wife and a beautiful view to look at. So the moral of this story is to speak up when you see others doing something that you don't believe in.
I thought this was a very beautiful movie and enjoyed the script. When first going into this movie I didn’t know what to expect which is why I think I enjoyed it. The first thing I liked about the movie was that it’s real; its not some romantic or drama movie that doesn’t have a real meaning. It has a powerful message and when it was over, you couldn’t help but feel sad for Salma. I also enjoyed how the movie had some comedic relief, for example, the panning of the picture of Salma’s husband on the wall. Hiam Abbass played a strong woman in this movie and I feel she needs an academy award. It should have won an Oscar for best international movie, if it hasn’t already. From the start of the movie to the end, you feel Salma’s struggle and feel bad for her; she will go through any lengths to save her lemon grove and from the very beginning you’re wanting her to win. There is so much more I can say about this movie but there isn’t any time. It is truly a great movie and I’m glad I watched it. It will definitely be a movie that I will recommend for anyone who wants to see a foreign film. I will definitely have to recommend it to my parents!
When reading the descriptions for this movie I didn’t think I would like it much, but it turned out to be a great movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. The movie is centered on the struggle of a Palestinian woman, Salma Zidane, to save the lemon trees that her family planted and have cared for through multiple generations. When I first saw the grove of trees, I had the same feeling as the defense minister’s wife, the feeling that the grove was beautiful and had its own quaint charm. It was sad to see the view of the trees be replaced with the sight of a bleak wall. I think this switch represents one of the biggest ideas of the movie; so much can be lost to fear and unwillingness to cooperate and understand. I will definitely recommend this movie to my friends and family.
After hearing about the movie, I’m not sure what I was expecting but I know that I wasn’t expecting what I got. The movie was so depressing. Throughout the movie her hope just kept getting stepped on and stifled. I found the beginning of the film to be airy, light and beautiful, but it just kept getting sadder and more hopeless. Her husband had gone, her children could not help her, and her lawyer was only half in it. I did not like her lawyer, he was a liar (but…aren’t they all?). When it comes to her feelings about him, I was a little confused. But either way they were her feelings to have, and it surprised me when men from her town who knew her husband kept telling her what to do with her feelings and her relationship with her lawyer. On the matter of the lemon trees, it was so sad that it took the Jewish Prime Minister’s wife so so very long to voice her opinion of the matter. It’s like she couldn't stand up to her husband and when she did it was already too late. I was deeply saddened with the final resolution to the grove, because I feel like Um Zidane was cheated in more ways than one. I left the movie feeling like I had a better understanding of the plight of the Palestinians and just a few of the miserable circumstances they must deal with.
Despite its incredible lack of subtlety in communicating its interpretation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the microcosm of Minister “Israel”'s legal quarrel with Salma, the film was incredibly moving. While the presentation is oriented heavily in favor of Salma (one wonders who would portray her as an antagonist), some gray areas of the film's plot seemed to complicate a black-and-white interpretation of the events as favoring the Arabs as a whole over the Jewish Israelis. Salma is explicitly told by a member of her community not to accept the money offered to her by the Israeli government in compensation for her land. Additionally, outside of the destruction of the lemon grove, perhaps the saddest element of the film is the fact that Ziad seems to have used her case primarily as a means of obtaining professional advancement and prestige for himself, apparently forsaking entirely the intimacy he has shared with Salma.
Though the settlement Salma obtains in the Israeli court is framed by others as a victory, albeit small, the final moments of the film highlight the hollowness of the “compromise” that has been reached. The Minister of Defense looks out of his window, seeing only an imposing fence, behind which lie the desolate patches recently made in Salma's lemon grove. The latter image is made more intense when one recalls the comparisons made between trees and human beings. The ending is not at all a happy one, no, and, honestly, I struggle to imagine a more realistic way to end a film about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than on a note of tension-laden acrimony.
This movie was better than I thought it would be and different than what I was expecting! I think that because it wasn't the traditional american hollywood movie, I didn't expect it to be very good or interesting. But I really enjoyed watching it! I never was bored and it told such a good story. Another thing that made it different than what I expected was how sad it was, throughout the entire story. In the movies made in American Hollywood, the endings are usually happy and work out for the main characters. But in this movie, that didn't happen at all. Salma lost her trees and Ziad started dating the daughter, leaving Salma alone again. There really isn't an aspect to the story of Salma that ends well for her. It is the opposite of what happens in most of the end of american movies. All in all, I really like the movie! I liked how it came from the perspective of a character that is not considered important. This movie surprised me in such a great way!
It was ironic that the Minister referred, more than once, to trees being the same as human beings yet the ending was all but destroying them. The symbolism was heavy regarding the Isreal-Palestine conflict and it's interesting that humanity often justifies actions against living beings if the action falls short of completely extinguishing them. I think this movie also played heavily on the perspective of women's emotions. It was only the wife and the female reporter that looked passed the politics and onto the woman that the whole situation was affecting. I liked that the writer put a human face to both sides, so that although you felt bad for Salma, you knew that there was sympathy on the "opposing" side as well. I would be interested to see who the writer or director were because of this. I did expect Salma and the Minister's wife to speak at least once during the film. It was disappointing that they didn't, but I can see why it never happened. I very much enjoyed the movie, especially when I understood a word here or there :)
Darby Galler: To be honest, this movie was very interesting. One event that really stuck out to me that I did not like about the movie was the fact that a disagreement between two neighbors got turned into a court hearing. More importantly, the lawyer for Salma I believe started something too big. I did not like how he turned this disagreement into a fight or war or something between Israel and Palestine. The movie was interesting for me to watch because I have studied the Hebrew language since pre-school and I am now learning Arabic. I would say I was able to understand 95% of the movie when they were talking in Hebrew. I like to know that I am still able to think, speak, read, and talk in Hebrew. I believe it is a valuable language for me. Additionally, for Arabic there were definitely words that I could understand, but for a majority of the movie I could not understand. I think it is a great idea to watch movies in Arabic to help us learn the language and the culture. Additionally, from movies we can learn slang and layman’s terms, instead of using such formal language.
At first when I began watching the movie “Lemon Tree”, I thought that it was a little stupid to me initially. But as I started viewing it with a more open mind, I realized that it was a much deeper meaning to what was going on in the movie than I initially realized. Personally, I was a little confused as to why her trees had to get cut down, because they had just told her that she wasn’t going to have to cut them down. I feel like although it was the principle of the matter, she should have taken the last offer because it was better than nothing. As far as the minister’s wife, I feel she should have left him long before it even got to that point. I also feel like if she was going to defend her neighbor then she should have done so, whole heartedly, not half way.
Patrick Johnson Arabic 2001 The movie Lemon Tree gave me better insight into the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. I liked how the main character, Salma Zidane, fought the Israeli Government to protect her father's trees. She took every blow that the they dealt and even found a new relationship with her lawyer. I'm glad that she did this because her husband did not look like he was very good to her. I that this is naive but I think that Israeli prime minister should have moved. I also think that they would have seen the trees beforehand and would have decided not to move there. The wife of the prime minister should have also defended Salma and told her husband that they should move.
The “Lemon Tree” is a great movie that brings about both ethical and political issues. When Mira states, “There is a lemon grove between us,” she shines light on both the physical and cultural separation between herself and Salma. The juxtaposition between the two women of different lifestyles and backgrounds create an underlying theme in the movie. As we watch the two women become prisoners in their own home as a result of the lemon grove that has been deemed dangerous, we see the women create a connection because they both understand the feeling of entrapment. I think the most magical part of the movie happens at the end because the massive wall symbolizes struggle and divide, thus creating a great open ending to the movie.
The Lemon Tree was a great movie! I was pleasantly surprised that it was made with good quality and that the actors did a good job. I'm not sure what I was expecting but overall it was a good experience. However, I did not like the way the movie ended. I really wanted that happily ever after in the end. I was extremely disappointed that after all the trouble that poor lady went through she still lost her lemon trees, didn't get the guy, and still was miserable. It was so sad. Ido think that I learned a great deal about Arabic movies from the film. I came to realize that Arabic movies don't usually have the typical fairy tale ending, which is actually a big turn off. For me, movie are a way to escape reality and dwell in a place where good things actually happen to good people. When I'm watching a movie I don't want to be reminded of reality, I want a break from it. I think I will definitely watch more Arabic movies but I will always love the American happily ever after.
Danielle Ebanks I found the Lemon Tree to be an amazing story. I am currently learning about the conflicts between the Palestinians and the Jews over the Israeli land, and this story gave me a different perspective from the usual American views taught in the classroom. Although Salma was awarded more trees than she was initially, she still lost a huge part of her livelihood. Mira leaving her husband just shows that even some Jews believe there can be peace in Palestine. Furthermore, it is my opinion that the bold concrete wall that now replaces the beautiful lemon orchard represents not only the separation of cultures, but the blockage of peace.
This was a great movie. I was amazed to the strength that Mira had in this movie. She basically stood against the state of Israel in the defense of her lemon orchard. The orchard was a way to connect the two cultures together. The wall being built would further seperate and bring apart the two cultures. This movie talks about the strength of Mira. She was a lonely woman. She did not have a husband and was a widow. However it was said her husband wouldn't have done the same thing she did. She was bold and strong. Israeli politicians are corrupt like politicians from any other country and they see this israeli-palestinian conflict as a means to gain more power and bring fear to the people. The wall being built would stop any means of bringing peace to the area further seperating the two cultures and making it harder for the people to bridge the differences. The orchard was essentially a bridge between the two cultures because they both enjoyed lemons and could use them. The wall/fence would stop that. Now not only are they seperated by language but by a stone rock wall and or fence.
The first thing that comes to mind with the mention of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is a scenario such as the one that is occurring in Gaza. Stories of bloody violence and malnutrition are bound to get plenty of attention. This movie made me appreciate and understand the plight of the Palestinians in the West Bank. I was able to put myself in Salma's shoes. I tried to imagine the land my home was built on destroyed and inaccessible to my family. My own land is taken from me without a just cause and a fair trial, violating an essential human right. I hate to think about Salma's suffering and frustration at such an unfair decision. It is so upsetting that she is not even thought of as a person, but is degraded to an issue to be resolved. Although the ending was not necessarily a happy one, it was better than the alternative. I felt as if the ending was actually optimistic, because many are not nearly that lucky. They must stand aside while their land and livelihood is snatched away. It is the horrible truth of the matter, and I think that everyone should watch this movie to fully understand every aspect of this conflict.
Evin Hughes I found The Lemon Tree to be very inspiring. This is a film about ethics and prejudice, with strong undertones with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, though I have read that the director Eran Riklis said that he meant for the film to be apolitical. I like how the film is based on the true story of Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz moved to the border within Israel and the occupied territories and security forces began cutting down the olive trees beside his house, arguing that it could be used by terrorists as a hiding place. Mira's character was very strong as she stood up against the minister, his wife, and his family for what she believed in.
I liked the lemon tree except for the fact the the lady smiled at the end when seeing the wall. It meant what they did by cutting her trees was even more dumb. She should've been throwing more lemons over at her neighbor. Also, the way they cut the trees was pointless it just moved the grove back an extra 30 feet, and bullets don't care about going an extra 30 feet. They shoul've cut alternating rows forward into the grove for that to make sense. I think the most interesting character was the defense ministers wife. Also the love story was awkward because I have no idea how taboo that was in the Arab world. Max ARAB 1001
The Lemon Tree was a unique look at the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I found it to be very fair and balanced, not necessarily favoring one side over the other. Though I feel the obvious message was that the destroying of Salma's lemon groves was unjust, it wasn't painted as an attack by all Israelis on Palestinians.
I also enjoyed the paralleling of the two female protagonists, Mira and Salma. How both of their children studied in America, close to each other. How both of their children were kind of dismissive of their feelings and opinions. I half expected them to meet and become more central characters to the film!
I think the ending was perfect. There seem to be no wins in Palestine. It was especially poetic since after chopping down all her trees (because that's what they basically did), the huge wall was built anyway and the groves were no longer an issue.
While the movie was well done and shed some light on the israeli-palestinian conflict, I don't feel like I got as much out of it as most of the other people here. If I have to be completely honest, though, it might be b/c I procrastinated and put it off until the last minute and haven't really had time to reflect on it :) I find myself torn about how Salma handled the situation. I personally thought she made too big of a deal out of the whole thing. I think she should have taken the compensation and moved to America with her son. But I can also understand why she couldn't do that. On the other hand, I can also see the principle behind it....if the Israelis are allowed to come in and take one woman's land, then what else are they allowed to take? A line has to be drawn somewhere. I also thought Salma and Mira would speak to each other at some point and I was kind of disappointed they didn't. Kimberly Ballard 1002
The Lemon Tree was a terribly passionate tale about a woman whose lemon grove is being threatened with removal. The woman fights and fights to keep her lemon trees alive, as they've been passed through her family for generations. In typical Arabic movie style, the end is very realistic, which may or may not be a good thing. Throughout the film though, one thing that struck me as different was that this man from Salma's (main character) neighborhood kept feeling the need to let her know that she needed to tone down her relations with this other guy. I kept thinking to myself that he needs to mind his own business, but I can accept it as a cultural difference.
Laprecious Brock Arabic 1001A I happened to like the move the "Lemon Tree". I was interesting to see the antithesis of the two different households. A national border and a harmless lemon tree that has been in existence for years was the cause of so much trouble. Initially i felt as though Salma was doing the most when it came to taking her court case further and further into the judicial system, but she stood up for all of her values and morals. Most people would have given up after the first "no". I couldn't believe that her lawyer fell in love with her then turned around to marry Mira's daughter. Talk about drama! The ending, in fact, hit me the most. A grand wall was built between the houses and yet the lemon trees were still cut down.
"The Lemon Tree" was surprisingly a very enjoyable movie. I definitely was not expecting to like it as much as I did. I learned a lot about how different cultures clash in the Middle East and distrust each other, but at the same time still respect one another. On one hand, I do believe the secret service was doing its job very well by being suspicious of a lemon grove they knew nothing about, but in the end i believe the facts spoke for themselves that the lemon tree plantation posed little threat to the defense minister. The end compromise was a truly heart breaking decision by the supreme court, but given the circumstances, i do believe it was fair.
When hearing about this movie i was not quite sure what it was going to be about. I found this movie to be very enjoyable. It seems that everyday in the news i hear about the conflict in Isreal and Palestine. I have always wanted to see the conflict throught the eyes of someone experiencing it first hand and not form the outside. but i thought that the idea of the trees was interesting and the final decision in the movie was very sad. I did like this movie, that being said, I did find this movie to be very depressing, as some of the other movies we have watched on previous arabic movie nights. I really enjoyed it and would recomend it to others.
Israel and Palestine seem like interesting places. The movie was very detailed describing the conflict between the two. Historical conflicts are interesting. All the fuss over a lemon tree grove kept me intereded. The main character was a interesting Palestine women who valued her lemons incredicablly. Her father and her planted them so it was probably natural that she cared so much for them. The new neighbor of her's is a disaster for her lemon field.. The ordered destruction of her grove sends her into a spiral of emotions. She fights for them and refuses to let them go easy. she saves 150 trees but has 150 cut down. thats a small victory. The assessment that the grove was a threat was agreed by all parties basically to be a little over to the extreme side. the ending shows the final wall, the trees that were pruned and everyone going on with their lives. The cement wall is kind of amusing to look at.I enjoyed the movie and the story
The Lemon Tree was an overall excellent movie in my opinion. I liked how the woman kept tending to her trees even after her husband's death. I think that the Israeli Defense Minister had a point listening to his secret service and taking their advice with the fence and guard towers because he didn't know the lady or her history. I can see where her orchard could have posed as a good place to launch attacks on the Defense Minister and then retreat into the cover of the lemon trees. On the other hand, the Minister should have taken a better look from the lady's perspective. She had lived there for so long and he had just showed up and changed her life drastically for the worse. The situation is complex, thus there should have been compromise. In the end, I felt bad for the lady who farmed the Lemon trees because not only was she burdened by the Minister but she was not able to live the rest of her life with her lawyer, whom she loved.
Aaron Ward
ReplyDeleteARAB 1101
This was a very interesting movie that focused on the tension between Israel and Palestine. These two neighboring nations have had tension for a long time. This movie puts a creative twist on this situation from a lemon tree grove that ran a long the Israeli border. The main character is a Palestinian woman named Salma Zidane. Salma is a lower class woman that makes a living by harvesting the lemons from her grove that her grandfather and father planted. Her peaceful livelihood is in jeopardy when she gets a new neighbor, the Defense Minister of Israel.
Salma is court order and demanded to the destruction of her lemon grove due to the safety of the defense minister. She refuses and tries to fight for her livelihood in court. At first she has no luck, but she is a determined woman that won't take no for an answer. She rejects the courts settlement offer and proceeds with taking her case to the Supreme Court. After a long court case she is awarded by only having 150 trees cut down. To the people of Palestine thats a small victory but to Salma part of her life is taken away. The defense minster and his wife don't agree with the secret service assessment that the grove is dangerous but are too cowardly to speak up because doing so could put the defense ministers job in jeopardy. However, Navon's wife, Mira, speaks up and is saddened by the end result of the case. The movie ends with a wall running along the boarder that is suppose to protect Israel from invading nations. What once use to be a magnificent view of lemon trees now turns into a cement wall. Mira is so frustrated with the result that she leaves her new house. Its saddening to see such a beautiful, harmless grove be destroyed due to fear of safety. If the defense minister spoke up, he would still have his wife and a beautiful view to look at. So the moral of this story is to speak up when you see others doing something that you don't believe in.
I thought this was a very beautiful movie and enjoyed the script. When first going into this movie I didn’t know what to expect which is why I think I enjoyed it. The first thing I liked about the movie was that it’s real; its not some romantic or drama movie that doesn’t have a real meaning. It has a powerful message and when it was over, you couldn’t help but feel sad for Salma. I also enjoyed how the movie had some comedic relief, for example, the panning of the picture of Salma’s husband on the wall.
ReplyDeleteHiam Abbass played a strong woman in this movie and I feel she needs an academy award. It should have won an Oscar for best international movie, if it hasn’t already. From the start of the movie to the end, you feel Salma’s struggle and feel bad for her; she will go through any lengths to save her lemon grove and from the very beginning you’re wanting her to win.
There is so much more I can say about this movie but there isn’t any time. It is truly a great movie and I’m glad I watched it. It will definitely be a movie that I will recommend for anyone who wants to see a foreign film. I will definitely have to recommend it to my parents!
Adam Weiss
ReplyDeleteWhen reading the descriptions for this movie I didn’t think I would like it much, but it turned out to be a great movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. The movie is centered on the struggle of a Palestinian woman, Salma Zidane, to save the lemon trees that her family planted and have cared for through multiple generations. When I first saw the grove of trees, I had the same feeling as the defense minister’s wife, the feeling that the grove was beautiful and had its own quaint charm. It was sad to see the view of the trees be replaced with the sight of a bleak wall. I think this switch represents one of the biggest ideas of the movie; so much can be lost to fear and unwillingness to cooperate and understand. I will definitely recommend this movie to my friends and family.
After hearing about the movie, I’m not sure what I was expecting but I know that I wasn’t expecting what I got. The movie was so depressing. Throughout the movie her hope just kept getting stepped on and stifled. I found the beginning of the film to be airy, light and beautiful, but it just kept getting sadder and more hopeless. Her husband had gone, her children could not help her, and her lawyer was only half in it. I did not like her lawyer, he was a liar (but…aren’t they all?). When it comes to her feelings about him, I was a little confused. But either way they were her feelings to have, and it surprised me when men from her town who knew her husband kept telling her what to do with her feelings and her relationship with her lawyer.
ReplyDeleteOn the matter of the lemon trees, it was so sad that it took the Jewish Prime Minister’s wife so so very long to voice her opinion of the matter. It’s like she couldn't stand up to her husband and when she did it was already too late. I was deeply saddened with the final resolution to the grove, because I feel like Um Zidane was cheated in more ways than one. I left the movie feeling like I had a better understanding of the plight of the Palestinians and just a few of the miserable circumstances they must deal with.
Despite its incredible lack of subtlety in communicating its interpretation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the microcosm of Minister “Israel”'s legal quarrel with Salma, the film was incredibly moving. While the presentation is oriented heavily in favor of Salma (one wonders who would portray her as an antagonist), some gray areas of the film's plot seemed to complicate a black-and-white interpretation of the events as favoring the Arabs as a whole over the Jewish Israelis. Salma is explicitly told by a member of her community not to accept the money offered to her by the Israeli government in compensation for her land. Additionally, outside of the destruction of the lemon grove, perhaps the saddest element of the film is the fact that Ziad seems to have used her case primarily as a means of obtaining professional advancement and prestige for himself, apparently forsaking entirely the intimacy he has shared with Salma.
ReplyDeleteThough the settlement Salma obtains in the Israeli court is framed by others as a victory, albeit small, the final moments of the film highlight the hollowness of the “compromise” that has been reached. The Minister of Defense looks out of his window, seeing only an imposing fence, behind which lie the desolate patches recently made in Salma's lemon grove. The latter image is made more intense when one recalls the comparisons made between trees and human beings. The ending is not at all a happy one, no, and, honestly, I struggle to imagine a more realistic way to end a film about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than on a note of tension-laden acrimony.
This movie was better than I thought it would be and different than what I was expecting! I think that because it wasn't the traditional american hollywood movie, I didn't expect it to be very good or interesting. But I really enjoyed watching it! I never was bored and it told such a good story. Another thing that made it different than what I expected was how sad it was, throughout the entire story. In the movies made in American Hollywood, the endings are usually happy and work out for the main characters. But in this movie, that didn't happen at all. Salma lost her trees and Ziad started dating the daughter, leaving Salma alone again. There really isn't an aspect to the story of Salma that ends well for her. It is the opposite of what happens in most of the end of american movies.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I really like the movie! I liked how it came from the perspective of a character that is not considered important. This movie surprised me in such a great way!
ARAB 1001
DeleteMelanie Steinke
It was ironic that the Minister referred, more than once, to trees being the same as human beings yet the ending was all but destroying them. The symbolism was heavy regarding the Isreal-Palestine conflict and it's interesting that humanity often justifies actions against living beings if the action falls short of completely extinguishing them. I think this movie also played heavily on the perspective of women's emotions. It was only the wife and the female reporter that looked passed the politics and onto the woman that the whole situation was affecting. I liked that the writer put a human face to both sides, so that although you felt bad for Salma, you knew that there was sympathy on the "opposing" side as well. I would be interested to see who the writer or director were because of this. I did expect Salma and the Minister's wife to speak at least once during the film. It was disappointing that they didn't, but I can see why it never happened. I very much enjoyed the movie, especially when I understood a word here or there :)
ReplyDeleteAmber Augustine
Darby Galler:
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, this movie was very interesting. One event that really stuck out to me that I did not like about the movie was the fact that a disagreement between two neighbors got turned into a court hearing. More importantly, the lawyer for Salma I believe started something too big. I did not like how he turned this disagreement into a fight or war or something between Israel and Palestine.
The movie was interesting for me to watch because I have studied the Hebrew language since pre-school and I am now learning Arabic. I would say I was able to understand 95% of the movie when they were talking in Hebrew. I like to know that I am still able to think, speak, read, and talk in Hebrew. I believe it is a valuable language for me. Additionally, for Arabic there were definitely words that I could understand, but for a majority of the movie I could not understand.
I think it is a great idea to watch movies in Arabic to help us learn the language and the culture. Additionally, from movies we can learn slang and layman’s terms, instead of using such formal language.
Kelsey Henderson
ReplyDeleteAt first when I began watching the movie “Lemon Tree”, I thought that it was a little stupid to me initially. But as I started viewing it with a more open mind, I realized that it was a much deeper meaning to what was going on in the movie than I initially realized. Personally, I was a little confused as to why her trees had to get cut down, because they had just told her that she wasn’t going to have to cut them down. I feel like although it was the principle of the matter, she should have taken the last offer because it was better than nothing. As far as the minister’s wife, I feel she should have left him long before it even got to that point. I also feel like if she was going to defend her neighbor then she should have done so, whole heartedly, not half way.
Patrick Johnson Arabic 2001
ReplyDeleteThe movie Lemon Tree gave me better insight into the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. I liked how the main character, Salma Zidane, fought the Israeli Government to protect her father's trees. She took every blow that the they dealt and even found a new relationship with her lawyer. I'm glad that she did this because her husband did not look like he was very good to her. I that this is naive but I think that Israeli prime minister should have moved. I also think that they would have seen the trees beforehand and would have decided not to move there. The wife of the prime minister should have also defended Salma and told her husband that they should move.
The “Lemon Tree” is a great movie that brings about both ethical and political issues. When Mira states, “There is a lemon grove between us,” she shines light on both the physical and cultural separation between herself and Salma. The juxtaposition between the two women of different lifestyles and backgrounds create an underlying theme in the movie. As we watch the two women become prisoners in their own home as a result of the lemon grove that has been deemed dangerous, we see the women create a connection because they both understand the feeling of entrapment. I think the most magical part of the movie happens at the end because the massive wall symbolizes struggle and divide, thus creating a great open ending to the movie.
ReplyDeleteYavaria Ryan
ARAB 1002
Kelsi Leverett
ReplyDeleteThe Lemon Tree was a great movie! I was pleasantly surprised that it was made with good quality and that the actors did a good job. I'm not sure what I was expecting but overall it was a good experience. However, I did not like the way the movie ended. I really wanted that happily ever after in the end. I was extremely disappointed that after all the trouble that poor lady went through she still lost her lemon trees, didn't get the guy, and still was miserable. It was so sad. Ido think that I learned a great deal about Arabic movies from the film. I came to realize that Arabic movies don't usually have the typical fairy tale ending, which is actually a big turn off. For me, movie are a way to escape reality and dwell in a place where good things actually happen to good people. When I'm watching a movie I don't want to be reminded of reality, I want a break from it. I think I will definitely watch more Arabic movies but I will always love the American happily ever after.
Danielle Ebanks
ReplyDeleteI found the Lemon Tree to be an amazing story. I am currently learning about the conflicts between the Palestinians and the Jews over the Israeli land, and this story gave me a different perspective from the usual American views taught in the classroom. Although Salma was awarded more trees than she was initially, she still lost a huge part of her livelihood. Mira leaving her husband just shows that even some Jews believe there can be peace in Palestine. Furthermore, it is my opinion that the bold concrete wall that now replaces the beautiful lemon orchard represents not only the separation of cultures, but the blockage of peace.
This was a great movie. I was amazed to the strength that Mira had in this movie. She basically stood against the state of Israel in the defense of her lemon orchard. The orchard was a way to connect the two cultures together. The wall being built would further seperate and bring apart the two cultures. This movie talks about the strength of Mira. She was a lonely woman. She did not have a husband and was a widow. However it was said her husband wouldn't have done the same thing she did. She was bold and strong. Israeli politicians are corrupt like politicians from any other country and they see this israeli-palestinian conflict as a means to gain more power and bring fear to the people. The wall being built would stop any means of bringing peace to the area further seperating the two cultures and making it harder for the people to bridge the differences. The orchard was essentially a bridge between the two cultures because they both enjoyed lemons and could use them. The wall/fence would stop that. Now not only are they seperated by language but by a stone rock wall and or fence.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that comes to mind with the mention of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is a scenario such as the one that is occurring in Gaza. Stories of bloody violence and malnutrition are bound to get plenty of attention. This movie made me appreciate and understand the plight of the Palestinians in the West Bank. I was able to put myself in Salma's shoes. I tried to imagine the land my home was built on destroyed and inaccessible to my family. My own land is taken from me without a just cause and a fair trial, violating an essential human right. I hate to think about Salma's suffering and frustration at such an unfair decision. It is so upsetting that she is not even thought of as a person, but is degraded to an issue to be resolved. Although the ending was not necessarily a happy one, it was better than the alternative. I felt as if the ending was actually optimistic, because many are not nearly that lucky. They must stand aside while their land and livelihood is snatched away. It is the horrible truth of the matter, and I think that everyone should watch this movie to fully understand every aspect of this conflict.
ReplyDeleteEvin Hughes
ReplyDeleteI found The Lemon Tree to be very inspiring. This is a film about ethics and prejudice, with strong undertones with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, though I have read that the director Eran Riklis said that he meant for the film to be apolitical. I like how the film is based on the true story of Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz moved to the border within Israel and the occupied territories and security forces began cutting down the olive trees beside his house, arguing that it could be used by terrorists as a hiding place. Mira's character was very strong as she stood up against the minister, his wife, and his family for what she believed in.
I liked the lemon tree except for the fact the the lady smiled at the end when seeing the wall. It meant what they did by cutting her trees was even more dumb. She should've been throwing more lemons over at her neighbor.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the way they cut the trees was pointless it just moved the grove back an extra 30 feet, and bullets don't care about going an extra 30 feet. They shoul've cut alternating rows forward into the grove for that to make sense.
I think the most interesting character was the defense ministers wife.
Also the love story was awkward because I have no idea how taboo that was in the Arab world.
Max ARAB 1001
The Lemon Tree was a unique look at the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I found it to be very fair and balanced, not necessarily favoring one side over the other. Though I feel the obvious message was that the destroying of Salma's lemon groves was unjust, it wasn't painted as an attack by all Israelis on Palestinians.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the paralleling of the two female protagonists, Mira and Salma. How both of their children studied in America, close to each other. How both of their children were kind of dismissive of their feelings and opinions. I half expected them to meet and become more central characters to the film!
I think the ending was perfect. There seem to be no wins in Palestine. It was especially poetic since after chopping down all her trees (because that's what they basically did), the huge wall was built anyway and the groves were no longer an issue.
Nadia Dreid, 2001.
While the movie was well done and shed some light on the israeli-palestinian conflict, I don't feel like I got as much out of it as most of the other people here. If I have to be completely honest, though, it might be b/c I procrastinated and put it off until the last minute and haven't really had time to reflect on it :) I find myself torn about how Salma handled the situation. I personally thought she made too big of a deal out of the whole thing. I think she should have taken the compensation and moved to America with her son. But I can also understand why she couldn't do that. On the other hand, I can also see the principle behind it....if the Israelis are allowed to come in and take one woman's land, then what else are they allowed to take? A line has to be drawn somewhere. I also thought Salma and Mira would speak to each other at some point and I was kind of disappointed they didn't.
ReplyDeleteKimberly Ballard
1002
The Lemon Tree was a terribly passionate tale about a woman whose lemon grove is being threatened with removal. The woman fights and fights to keep her lemon trees alive, as they've been passed through her family for generations. In typical Arabic movie style, the end is very realistic, which may or may not be a good thing. Throughout the film though, one thing that struck me as different was that this man from Salma's (main character) neighborhood kept feeling the need to let her know that she needed to tone down her relations with this other guy. I kept thinking to myself that he needs to mind his own business, but I can accept it as a cultural difference.
ReplyDeleteLaprecious Brock
ReplyDeleteArabic 1001A
I happened to like the move the "Lemon Tree". I was interesting to see the antithesis of the two different households. A national border and a harmless lemon tree that has been in existence for years was the cause of so much trouble. Initially i felt as though Salma was doing the most when it came to taking her court case further and further into the judicial system, but she stood up for all of her values and morals. Most people would have given up after the first "no". I couldn't believe that her lawyer fell in love with her then turned around to marry Mira's daughter. Talk about drama! The ending, in fact, hit me the most. A grand wall was built between the houses and yet the lemon trees were still cut down.
Evan Solomon
ReplyDeleteArabic 1001A
"The Lemon Tree" was surprisingly a very enjoyable movie. I definitely was not expecting to like it as much as I did. I learned a lot about how different cultures clash in the Middle East and distrust each other, but at the same time still respect one another. On one hand, I do believe the secret service was doing its job very well by being suspicious of a lemon grove they knew nothing about, but in the end i believe the facts spoke for themselves that the lemon tree plantation posed little threat to the defense minister. The end compromise was a truly heart breaking decision by the supreme court, but given the circumstances, i do believe it was fair.
When hearing about this movie i was not quite sure what it was going to be about. I found this movie to be very enjoyable. It seems that everyday in the news i hear about the conflict in Isreal and Palestine. I have always wanted to see the conflict throught the eyes of someone experiencing it first hand and not form the outside. but i thought that the idea of the trees was interesting and the final decision in the movie was very sad. I did like this movie, that being said, I did find this movie to be very depressing, as some of the other movies we have watched on previous arabic movie nights. I really enjoyed it and would recomend it to others.
ReplyDeleteBrennan Patrick
1002
Israel and Palestine seem like interesting places. The movie was very detailed describing the conflict between the two. Historical conflicts are interesting. All the fuss over a lemon tree grove kept me intereded. The main character was a interesting Palestine women who valued her lemons incredicablly. Her father and her planted them so it was probably natural that she cared so much for them. The new neighbor of her's is a disaster for her lemon field.. The ordered destruction of her grove sends her into a spiral of emotions. She fights for them and refuses to let them go easy. she saves 150 trees but has 150 cut down. thats a small victory. The assessment that the grove was a threat was agreed by all parties basically to be a little over to the extreme side. the ending shows the final wall, the trees that were pruned and everyone going on with their lives. The cement wall is kind of amusing to look at.I enjoyed the movie and the story
ReplyDeleteCharles Bains
Arabic 1001
The Lemon Tree was an overall excellent movie in my opinion. I liked how the woman kept tending to her trees even after her husband's death. I think that the Israeli Defense Minister had a point listening to his secret service and taking their advice with the fence and guard towers because he didn't know the lady or her history. I can see where her orchard could have posed as a good place to launch attacks on the Defense Minister and then retreat into the cover of the lemon trees. On the other hand, the Minister should have taken a better look from the lady's perspective. She had lived there for so long and he had just showed up and changed her life drastically for the worse. The situation is complex, thus there should have been compromise. In the end, I felt bad for the lady who farmed the Lemon trees because not only was she burdened by the Minister but she was not able to live the rest of her life with her lawyer, whom she loved.
ReplyDeleteAbdullah
Arabic 1002