The Lemon Tree Film Review
The film is about the story of Salma as she fights for her lemon grove after the Secret Service views it as a threat to the Israeli Defense Minister Israel Navon and his family when they move into a house located on the border between Israel and the West Bank. The security forces set up a guard post and barbed wire fence around the grove after which they obtained an order to uproot the lemon trees in the land. Salma is facing the challenge along as her children have moved to another country and some of them are also now married. When people around her advised her to give in, she sought the help of a young lawyer named Ziad Daud and took their case to the Supreme Court. The case took notable attention from the media and Mira who is the wife of the minister gave an interview saying that she sympathizes with Salma. However, things did not go the way Salma had hoped for and the ending of the movie showed the lemon trees are now gone from the land (Riklis). We argue that the film is a portrayal of a woman who survives, in spite of the complexities of life.
The film shows some aspects that go on with Israeli and Palestinian conflict, such as empathy and power. Salma finds an ally with the minister’s wife Mira who seems to understand her cause, who also suffers with her married life. They may be both fighting for freedom, but they have different prison cells. Salma is fighting for her right for her land while Mira is trying to get out of her unhappy marriage although her prison cell is their luxurious home. She knows that her husband is having an affair with a younger woman and she has given up hope that he will change. Seeing Salma made her admire her courageousness and independence, something that she does not have.
The film also somehow gives hope that some people on the other ends of the conflict can still empathy for each other. This can be seen in the many instances in the film where Mira tried to empathize with Salma, despite their differences in language and in nationalities. Although no apparent bond can be seen between them, what prevail are the forces that divide them like the difference in the power above them. In a particular scene where Salma and Mira study over the fence that separates their properties. This implies that even the joined power of these principled individuals cannot be up against the powers of the Israeli military.
With the tracking shots of the separation wall built between the lemon grove and the home, it illustrates the balance of power and how Israel is trying to claim their territory. The film shows no favorable side within the conflict, but it clearly shows that the Israelis exercise more powerful military force compared to the Palestinians. It is also a way to show that the country’s military power can be superior and abusive over a country that has inferior military forces and weapons. This can be seen in the film as the security forces that protect the minister’s property act like goons in the movie. It seems like they are eager to shoot anyone who crosses their territory (Jenkins).
With that, it also shows the Palestinians drive in fighting for what is theirs. Despite not having much power, Salma still sought the help of a lawyer who believed in her cause. She tried with all her will and courage to fight for the land, which her family owns and, for which her ancestors left her. Despite fighting people with significant powers, she still fought until the end for this is what she thinks is right. This shows that the people in the country still have the determination to fight until the end and will do their best to claim what is rightfully theirs.
Overall, the movie explores the painful human detail of the life of a person in a society that is wrapped by terrorism. Unlike the major thesis of the movie, Salma the main character is actually fighting a system, which is created from the fear and suspicion of the Israeli military. In Israel, it was showed that everything is political that even a lemon grove owned by a widowed Palestinian woman is a threat. A lemon grove that stood unaffected for decades can be a threat to their security and government. The security chief of the minister sees terrorist in everyone even in a simple woman like Salma.
The film is essentially about gentrification and even the class differences and even the endless shadow of history that is present in the conflict between the two countries. Because of the conflict, even though Mira wanted to help Salma out, she and the minister is still powerless because of the deep history of conflict between the two nations. Even with the minister’s powers, he is unable to change the difficult situation even if he might empathize with Salma. This is the reason that in the end, the lemon trees were not seen on the land.
Although the film does not discuss about religion, it still adds another strain by showing the differences in power in gender. Just like what has been said earlier, Mira who is the most sympathetic to Salma’s difficulties has her own difficulties as well as she is trapped in an unhappy marriage with the minister. Both women are kept in check by their respective macho culture while despairing over their difficulties and while they have a hard time connecting. Many people have doubted Salman and even convinced her to just give in because as a woman she can never win.
The film tackles the life of the people who are caught up in the inevitable conflict between the two nations which are geared toward mutual distrust. The film is an emotionally loaded story with emphasis on walls and fences especially the West Bank wall, which was cut in two. This also shows some of the major issues each of the societies should face aside from the conflict. In the movie, while Salma fights for her right to retain the land, her lemon trees slowly withers because she did not have the time to take care of them. However, as the trees slowly weaken, the main characters in the story start to bloom as Mira tries to find her voice while Salma continues to fight for her rights. She believes in her power in a world that is ruled by men by doing her traditional head covering before she enters inside the court for the last time.
The movie may not be used to educate students about the true story of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, but it shows how conflicts can affect the lives of the people in these nations and how much power is needed in order for it to stop. It also gives important lessons to fight for what is right, despite the discouraging people around. This movie also gives rise to women and how strong willed they are when they fight for what they believe is their right and in this case Salma fighting for her family land. One of the things that can be learned from the film is that in spite of being on different sides of the conflict, people can still empathize with each other as they experience the same difficulties. Not everyone wants to be at war with other nations, but a stronger and more powerful force is needed for it to stop. This movie is highly recommended for people who would want to understand the nature of the relationship between Israel and Palestine. It gives insights about what is going on with the countries today and it also illustrates the difference of power between the two of them. This film is highly recommended for those who want to be inspired by the strength of a woman, as she faces struggles and challenges in life.
Works Cited
Jenkins, Mark. "Movie Review - 'Lemon Tree': Bitter And Sweet On Israel's Border." NPR.org. N.p., 16 Apr. 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Lemon Tree. Dir. Eran Riklis. Perf. Hiam Abbass, Ali Suliman, Rona Lipaz-Michael, Doron Tavory. 2008. IFC Films, 2008. Film.
