Lemon Tree (2008)

Original title

עץ לימון

Directed by

Eran Riklis

Genre

drama film

Country

Israel, France, Germany

Runtime

1h 46m

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 120 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A Palestinian widow fights in court to stop the Israeli Defense Minister from cutting down her lemon trees after he moves in next door. As her legal battle unfolds, she forms an unexpected connection with the minister's wife.

poignantslow-burnunderstatedemotionalhumanizinggentlethoughtfulmelancholic

What happens

Lemon Tree (Hebrew: עץ לימון, romanized: 'Etz Limon; Arabic: شجرة ليمون, romanized: 'Shajaret Leimoun) is a 2008 drama film directed by Eran Riklis, co-written by Suha Arraf. Starring Hiam Abbass, Ali Suliman, Danny Leshman and Rona Lipaz-Michael, it follows the legal efforts of a Palestinian widow to stop the Israeli Defense Minister, her new 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. The film is loosely based on a true story where trees were finally uprooted in the interest of Shaul Mofaz, Israeli Defense Minister from 2002 to 2006. The film had its world premiere in the Panorama section of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival, and was theatrically released in Israel on 27 March 2008. It received a tepid response from Israeli audiences, but was well received internationally. It was nominated for Best Actress (Abbass) and Best Screenwriter at the 21st European Film Awards. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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