By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Amos Gitai
Starring: Carmen Maura | Hana Laszlo | Hiam Abbass | Natalie Portman
Country: belgium, france, israel, spain
Year: 2006
Running time: 90
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441761/
Michael says: “FREE ZONE is Amos Gitai’s latest film, illuminating life in Israel and all its strife from a decidedly female point of view. The story revolves around three women, an Israeli, an American living in Israel, and a Palestinian living in Jordan. How these women interact and view the world makes up the bulk of FREE ZONE. Rebecca (Natalie Portman) has just broken off her engagement to her Israeli fiancé. Sitting in a car, she asks her driver, Hanna, to take her anywhere. Hanna is traveling to a place in Jordan called the Free Zone, and after some convincing, takes Rebecca alone. During the lengthy road trip, we see glimpses of the two women’s recent pasts. We see the end of Rebecca’s relationship, which is somewhat beside-the-point, although it does feature a terrific scene with her dismissive mother-in-law played by Carmen Maura. Hanna works on a farm with her husband Moshe, but their real earnings come from dealings with armored cars that they sell to Palestinians in the Free Zone. After Moshe is injured, Hanna must go to the Free Zone to see ‘The American’ who owes them a substantial amount of money. Hanna and Rebecca bond during their road trip, but when they arrive in the Free Zone, ‘The American’ isn’t present. They must deal with Leila, a Palestinian woman who reluctantly agrees to take them to ‘The American.’
“There is a lot going on in FREE ZONE, but what I took from it was the way women deal with conflict, eschewing the violence that men usually resort to. Rebecca is a bit of a cypher, despite glimpses of her past and the stories she relates, but she is mainly an observer, giving characters who might not otherwise deal with one another a conduit through which to interact. Hanna and Leila are fascinating characters. Their motivations are clear, and the actresses who play them are terrific. Hana Laszlo’s Hanna is particularly wonderful; she won the Best Actress award at Cannes. Hiam Abbass (PARADISE NOW, THE SYRIAN BRIDE, MUNICH) is also superb as Leila, and the two women’s interactions are certainly the strongest in the film. The closing argument between Hanna and Leila is fascinating to watch, even as the subtitles cease to scroll past and the closing music begins. Gitai, who has directed nearly 50 films, does some interesting work with superimposed scenes and claustrophobic camerawork. Where he stumbles is his use of Natalie Portman. The director seems transfixed with Portman’s face. Rebecca is given more importance than suits her role, especially with Hanna and Leila being such wonderful and complex characters. The group of us who saw this film came away with a wildly diverging group of opinions, but I was definitely on the plus side. FREE ZONE provides a unique look at the conflicts in Israel, and the women who bring them to life are a joy to watch. 4 cats.”