Claudio Carvalho
The confused American Rebecca (Natalie Portman) has left USA to live in Jordan. After breaking her engagement with her Israeli boyfriend, she asks the Israeli taxi driver Hanna (Hana Lazlo) to take her anywhere but the place where she is. Hanna tells her that she needs to go Jordan's Free Zone, a place surrounded by Syria, Iraq and South Arabia, to receive US$ 30,000.00 that the Palestinian partner of her husband called "The American" owes to him. When they arrive in the location, they do not find the "The American" but a Palestinian woman called Leila (Hiam Abbass). Hanna forces Leila to take her to meet "The American" in his Oasis, but when they arrive there, she is informed that his son has burnt the place, stolen the money and crossed the border."Free Zone" is a movie with great acting leaded by the adorable Natalie Portman, Hana Lazlo and Hiam Abbass. The road trip through the locations in Jordan and the soundtrack are other attractions. However, the screenplay is simply awful. Following the "Dogma 95" style, with a free handy cam, no lighting, many improvisation etc., the director and writer Amos Gitai makes a confused and inconclusive story with one of the worst opening scene I have ever seen, with Natalie Portman crying without explanation and a boring song for almost ten minutes. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Free Zone"
leplatypus
This movie was terribly long & dull for me.2 things have really bothered me: · the directing of Gitai: either he shoots big & long close-ups, either he does long wide empty frames (the road, a flag
.). For me, it was not a "Free Zone" because I saw only what he wanted me to see. I couldn't make any feelings of Jordania because we don't see it.. The worst: when he mixes two shoots on the same frame (a talk between Natalie and her boyfriend & the eternal windows car
) With that, you see none of them
· the story of Gitai: again, he doesn't write a story that anyone can relate but imposes its own feeling. When you see that the film begins with 8 minutes of Natalie crying in a passenger seat & that the female driver has no words for her, you know that the characterization is stupid
. Any human feeling, either Jewish, Arab, American, french or whatever you like, would have been simple: "Why do you cry? Be strong. You are not alone.. I am with you.. Can I help
.". Personally, I couldn't get into those crazy characters and the following road trip wouldn't deny it..In conclusion, when a director tells me "it is my vision or nothing", well, I am free & I choose "nothing".
ott_dog
This is more of a response to the latest post by "Mrnaturalsez". I guess we are expected to take your word on a movie instead of the Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival, which incidentally gave this move high praise. The film was an interesting, raw look at Jerusalem and Jordan as one would see it as a traveller. Plot has nothing to do with appreciating this movie, so I think you missed the mark. The story was used as a reason to explore the middle eastern culture. It was also interesting seeing Natalie Portman speak in her native Hebrew language. The film drew upon Portman's real life, as she was born in Isreal and had a Jewish father and American mother. Some films are watched for action, others for art, but I guess one will believe what one wants. There's my 2 cents.
dmarkuze
This film is low budget and it definitely shows.It's bad and no words about its artistic merits will make it any better. I only heard one truth in the movie, when the Arab woman said that people should speak their enemy's language. There is no doubt that Arabic should be compulsory in Israeli school. (I was taught French instead). Furthermore, the Brazilian who is so praising this very bad move, Hanna Laslo's father (in the movie) hails from Berlin and therefore she is not a Russian_Israeli. Also, maybe I am mistaken , but I don't recall that Israeli tanks reached the Jordanian/Iraqi border during the 1967 war, so they could not have possibly destroyed the Oasis there. I consider myself left of centre when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict, but this movie certainly did not do anything for me in that regards.
AD
