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Lemon Tree

Lemon Tree

Movie · 2008 · 5 people

In 2008 Eran Riklis directed Limon Ağacı (original title Etz Limon, internationally Lemon Tree), an Israeli-French-German drama. It is in Arabic and Hebrew. It had its world premiere in the Panorama section of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for best actress and best screenwriter at the 21st European Film Awards. It opened in Israel on March 27, 2008, to a tepid local response, and was better received abroad.

The story follows Salma, a Palestinian widow with a grove beside the wall between Israel and Palestine. When the Israeli Defense Minister moves into the new villa next door, her lemon trees are ordered removed on security grounds. Salma hires a lawyer and goes to court; as the case turns international her life grows more tangled, and she forms a human bond with the minister's wife. Hiam Abbass plays Salma, Ali Suliman plays Ziad Daud, Rona Lipaz-Michael plays Mira Navon and Doron Tavory plays the minister, Israel Navon.

Riklis and Suha Arraf wrote the screenplay, which is loosely inspired by a true episode in which trees were uprooted while Shaul Mofaz was Defense Minister (2002-2006). IFC Films released the film internationally on April 17, 2009.

DirectorEran Riklis

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Also in the cast: Danny Leshman, Amos Lavi, Rona Lipaz-Michael (Mira Navon), Doron Tavory (minister)

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Through different eyes

AI-assisted editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives. They are not reader reviews; those are below.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

In the shadow of the wall between Israel and Palestine, Lemon Tree brings a vast issue down to human scale through a single grove. When the Palestinian widow Salma's lemon trees are ordered removed on security grounds, what is at risk is not only a livelihood but a sense of belonging. Her decision to go to court, and the case's turn into an international matter, raise questions about where an ordinary person stands against the state. The film is loosely inspired by a real episode from Shaul Mofaz's time as Defense Minister, which lends the story extra weight, and the bond that grows between Salma and the minister's wife brings out the shared humanity of two women.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Eran Riklis makes a smart choice of scale by fitting a politically loaded subject into a lemon grove. The script is at its best when it leans on small, everyday frictions rather than big statements. Hiam Abbass as Salma is the film's center, and it rests much of its weight on her understated presence; its European Film Award nominations for best actress and best screenwriter come as no surprise. Yet the contrast between the neighboring villa and the grove sometimes slides into overly literal symbolism, and the bond with the minister's wife can feel schematic in places. A drama with a strong human side that moves at a balanced rhythm; this is the scale for viewers who like small frictions to carry big subjects.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humor and heart.

Lemon Tree is the quiet but weighty story of a woman trying to save her trees. Because it is set amid political tension, it is not for the little ones; that tension and heavy mood are hard for them to follow. For high-schoolers and adults, though, it is a film that makes you think about injustice, courage and being neighbors. It is in Arabic and Hebrew, so you will need subtitles.

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