Etz Limon (2008)

Note des utilisateurs:

7.2/10   

Réalisateur:

Eran Riklis

Writers:

Suha Arraf (writer)
Eran Riklis (writer)

Release Date:

27 mars 2008 (Israel)

Genre:

Drame

Plot:

A drama based on the true story of a Palestinian widow who must defend her lemontree field when a new Israeli Defense Minister moves next to her and threatens to have her lemon grove torn down. |

Plot Keywords:

Widow | Male Female Relationship | Hypocrisy | Supreme Court | Defence Minister

Awards:

2 wins & 8 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit de-da de-da?

US Showtimes:

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Ensemble

Hiam Abbass	...	Salma Zidane
Doron Tavory	...	Defense Minister Israel Navon
Ali Suliman	...	Ziad Daud
Rona Lipaz-Michael	...	Mira Navon
Tarik Kopty	...	Abu Hussam
Amos Lavi	...	Commander Jacob (as Amos Lavie)
Amnon Wolf	...	Leibowitz
Smadar Jaaron	...	Tamar Gera (as Smadar Yaaron)
Danny Leshman	...	Private Itamar aka Quickie
Hili Yalon	...	Sigi Navon
reste de la distribution par ordre alphabétique:
Linon Banares	...	Gilad
Jamil Khoury	...	Son-in-Law
Makram Khoury	...	Abu Kamal (as Makram J. Khoury)
Yair Lapid	...	Himself - the TV presenter
Loai Nofi	...	Nasser Zidane
Ayelet Robinson	...	Shelly
Einat Saruf	...	Herself - Singing at the party
Michael Warshaviak	...	Braverman - the attorney

Réalisé par
Eran Riklis

Scénaristes (in alphabetical order)
Suha Arraf		writer
Eran Riklis		writer

Produit par
Bettina Brokemper	....	co-producer
Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre	....	co-producer
Michael Eckelt	....	co-producer
Leon Edery	....	executive producer
Moshe Edery	....	executive producer
Johannes Rexin	....	line producer
Eran Riklis	....	producer
Ira Riklis	....	co-producer
David Silber	....	executive producer

Musique originale
Habib Shadah

Image
Rainer Klausmann

Montage
Tova Asher

Distribution des rôles
Yael Aviv

Création des décors
Miguel Markin

Création des costumes
Rona Doron

Directeur de production
Ghad Haijut	....	unit manager
Ayelet Imberman	....	unit production manager
Uzi Karin	....	production manager

Assistant réalisateur
Michal Engel	....	first assistant director

Technicien du son
Hervé Buirette	....	sound mixer
Emil Klotzsch	....	foley editor
As Milo	....	sound
Roland Platz	....	foley artist
Gil Toren	....	sound designer

Effets spéciaux
Sassi Franco	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Dennis Boni	....	additional photographer: Washington D.C.
Andy Kuester	....	assistant camera: Washington D.C.

Divers
Valérie Chabrier	....	press attache: France
Geraldine Jourdan	....	production coordinator
Gennady Kuchlik	....	making-of director
Robert Schlockoff	....	press attache: France

Thanks
Firas Khoury	....	thanks
Michael Schmid-Ospach	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Eran Riklis Productions
• Heimatfilm (co-production)
• MACT Productions (co-production)
• Riva Filmproduktion (co-production)
• Ministry of Education and Sport (participation)

Distributors

• Bir Film (2009) (Turkey) (all media) (limited)
• Agora (2008) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Arsenal Filmverleih (2008) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Camera Film (2008) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• Cine Video y TV (200?) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Cinéart (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2009) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Fidalgo Films Fistribution (2008) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Filmtrade (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Folkets Bio (2008) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Golem Distribución (200?) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Halcyon Pictures (2008) (UK) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2009) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Imovision (200?) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• Océan Films (2008) (France) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Gal-Kol Studios  music recorded at

Autre(s) titre(s):

Lemon Tree (Germany) (International: English title)
Les citronniers (France)
Shajarat limon (Israel: Arabic title)

Durée:

Germany:106 min (Berlin International Film Festival) | Argentina:106 min | USA:106 min

Pays:

Israel | Germany | France

Langue:

Arabe | Hébreu | Français | Anglais

Couleur:

Couleur

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Son:

Dolby Digital

Classification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:7 | Taiwan:GP | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:6 | Ireland:PG | Germany:6 (f) | UK:PG | France:U | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G (British Columbia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Mexico:A

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

Djelazoun, West Bank, Israel

Company:

Eran Riklis Productions

Guillemet:

Title Card: [last title card]
[after the end credits]
Title Card: Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.

Soundtrack:

Lemon Tree

Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit de-da de-da?

At its heart, Lemon Tree has the simplistic Blue Peter logic of many a Middle-East Conflict Film. There might be bureaucracies, politics, religion and culture in the way, but if ordinary people could just talk to each . . .

The 'ordinary people' are also usually those disenfranchised in a cross-cultural way. In Bridge Over the Wadi, they were children. In Lemon Tree, it is women who pick up the, 'if only we could live together' banner.

Salma is a Palestinian widow. She has lived on the green line border between Israel and the West Bank for decades. She tends a lemon grove. Handed down to her through generations. She barely scrapes an existence from it, but it is her whole world.

On the opposite side, the Israeli Defense Minister moves into a big new house facing her lemon grove. The Israeli security forces declare the proximity of Salma's trees a security threat. They issue orders to uproot them. Salma engages Ziad Daud, a Palestinian lawyer. They go to the Israeli Supreme Court to try to save the trees.

Meanwhile, Mira Navon, the Defense Minister's wife, is trapped in her luxurious new home but pretty miserable. She feels increasingly sympathetic to Salma's plight. Hubby makes public expressions of concern, but says he cannot go against the recommendations of security forces.

As an interim measure, Salma is prevented from entering the grove. The trees start to shrivel. This disparity is highlighted when the Navons throw a lavish party, with 'authentic Egyptian food.' But realise that that the caterer hasn't brought lemons. It seems a minor matter to pick up a few lemons from the adjoining grove . . .

With films like this, it is always tempting to look for bias. Although it was part-funded by the Israeli Film Council that doesn't make it pro-Israeli in this case. It's based on a true stories but (as always) there will be claims that it is too 'pro-Palestinian' or 'pro-Israeli' in the telling. Director Eran Riklis was born in Jerusalem, raised in USA, Canada and Brasil, graduated from film school in England, and now lives in Tel Aviv. He claims his film is, "about solitude as it is reflected in the lives of two women."

One of the film's main contributions is to explain the impossible deadlock and how both sides are pretty powerless, given their institutions, to change much. The Israeli Supreme Court verdict, when it comes, is gut-wrenching. But Palestinian officialdom seems more worried about propriety than the widow's attempts to protect her property. It is all superficially civilised. Lemon Tree initially disappoints me for not being more hard-hitting on political themes. But given how the politics of both sides can be excruciatingly tedious, Riklis has made a wise choice in turning real life political drama into a simple human interest story. In that, it Lemon Tree achieves something of a microcosm for the disputes. But does the film make creative and constructive inroads, or is it simply a pleasant and aesthetic way of not coming to terms?

Most of the comments I hear about how remarkably even-handed it is have come from liberal Israeli commentators. And there is much truth in their view. But a gulf still exists. There are no end of projects (and movies) focussing on peace initiatives between the two sides. Palestinians are often unhappy that such projects ignore the inequalities between them and Israeli Jews. Or act as a conscience-salve for the Israelis. "Existence first, co-existence later", has became a common Palestinian slogan. Lemons are a major crop in the area. They need a lot of water. Just like Salma, banished from her own grove, the Palestinians do not control their own water supply. Just like Salma, in times of crisis, they may lack the means of survival. Palestinians seeing Lemon Tree may agree about its even-handedness. Yet, like Salma, leave a little less sanguine about the value of emotional empathy between the two women. Or so sympathetic to the understanding Mira. Yet in the festering political deadlock, films of such beauty are still better than nothing.