"Non-commercial movie" group this Thursday: Lemon Tree

Lemon Tree (Arabic: شجرة ليمون; Hebrew: עץ לימון - Etz Limon) is a 2008 Israeli drama movie directed by Eran Riklis and codirected by his cousin Ira Riklis.It stars Hiam Abbass, Ali Suliman, Danny Leshman, Rona Lipaz-Michael, Tarik Kopty, Amos Lavi, Lana Zreik and Amnon Wolf. The film describes the legal efforts of a Palestinian widow to stop the Israeli Defense Minister, her next door neighbor, from destroying the lemon trees in her family farm. At the same time, she develops a human bond with the minister's wife. It was released in Israel on 27 March 2008, and it received a tepid response from Israeli audiences. It was released internationally through IFC Films on 17 April 2009. From there, the film has achieved critical success and it has received nominations for several awards such as 'Best Actress' and 'Best Screenwriter' at the European Film Awards.

Plot

The Israeli Defense Minister Israel Navon (Doron Tavory) moves to a house on the border between Israel and the West Bank, with the building sitting on the Israeli side just next to the dividing line. The Israeli Secret Service views the neighboring lemon grove of Salma Zidane (Hiam Abbass), a Palestinian widow whose family has cared for the area for generations, as a threat to the Minister and his wife. The security forces soon set up a guard post and a barbed wire fence around the grove. They then obtain an order to uproot the lemon trees.

Salma feels isolated given that her son has moved to Washington, D.C. and her daughters are now married. The local village elder Abu Kamal (Makram Khoury) advises her to give in, but Salma decides to work with the young lawyer Ziad Daud (Ali Suliman). They take their case all the way to the Supreme Court. Mira Navon (Rona Lipaz-Michael), the minister's wife, sympathizes with Salma. The court case receives notable media attention, and Mira gives a news interview that her husband regrets. Mira believes that the Israeli military overreacted, and she also shares Salma's sense of personal loneliness. A complex, though not always evident, human bond develops between the two women. As the Palestinian cause is dismissed, Mira moves out, and a concrete wall is built between Salma's land and the Defense Minister's house. A final camera shot reveals the lemon trees to have been cut down.

Directed by	Eran Riklis
Produced by	Eran Riklis
Written by	Eran Riklis Suha Arraf
Starring	Hiam Abbass 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 (2008-03-27)
Running time	106 minutes