Movie review: Lemon Tree (Etz Limon)

by by Susan Kandell

[Ed. note: the following review appears in its entirety on PopSyndicate, and is posted here with permission.]

Like the words of the Peter, Paul and Mary song of yesteryear, there are lessons to be learned from the lemon tree: “Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet. But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.” Life is a little like the eponymous tree – but making lemonade is not always the solution. Sometimes there’s not enough sugar with which to sweeten.

The film opens to the strains of a lovely middle eastern version of the song Lemon Tree as Salma Zidane (the marvelous Hiam Abbass) is preparing “lamoun makbouss” (pickled lemons), a traditional delicacy. It’s one of the sweetest moments in the film. Israeli director Eran Riklis (Syrian Bride) is not known for subtlety and the acidic symbolism of the scene is not lost on the audience.

Salma, a Palestinian widow living in the West Bank, is awakened by the grating sound of sawing emanating from her carefully tended lemon grove. A watchtower is being erected overlooking the lemon trees. When the new Israeli Defense Minister (Doron Tavory) moves in next door, the Israeli security forces deem the orchard a grave risk to the safety of the minister and his family. Afraid that terrorists would use the orchard as cover for an attack, they order the trees to be razed.

Planted by her father over fifty years ago, Salma weeps bitter tears when informed that her beloved grove would be decimated because of the threat they pose to her new neighbors. The lemon trees are her only source of income. She is not about to let this happen without a fight and embarks on a battle that would be waged in court with words instead of weapons and bloodshed.

Salma hires the young Palestinian attorney Ziad Daud (Ali Suliman) who begrudgingly takes the case all the way to the Supreme Court, where eventually a compromise is struck, which is not welcomed by either side. In case you missed it, metaphors abound.

Lemon Tree has been shown in festivals all over the world and garnered many awards since its premiere last year. Although Hiam Abbass (Munich, The Visitor) won Best Actress at the 2008 Israeli Film Academy Awards, the film has understandably not “born fruit” in Israel. Understandably, Israelis perceived the film as a simplistic and myopic view of this deeply rooted problem.

The film is actually more complex, introducing feminist empowerment themes. Not unlike many films that have been produced in Israel in the last few years (the extraordinary film The Band’s Visit comes to mind), a common thread of loneliness pervades Lemon Tree. One of the most unlikely allies to come to Salma’s aid is Mira (Rona Lipaz-Michael), the defense minister’s wife, who is as lonely and isolated as she is. Conversely, most of the men (Israeli and Palestinians) come across as arrogant bullies, self-serving jerks or inept clowns.

One of the most intriguing observations abut this polemic story is that Salma is allowed to have her day in court. Does that not reveal something honorable and just about the Israeli justice system?

The metaphorical poem penned by Robert Frost, "Mending Wall,” is perhaps best known for the line "Good fences make good neighbors.” Like the poem's narrator, Riklis blatantly flaunts his contempt for the expression and the walls erected between people. He questions whether there can be peace in the Middle East, when one can’t have peace in their own back yard.

Curious about the preparation of Lamoun Makbouss in the intro of the film? Below is the recipe posted in the press notes.

Susan Kandell, in addition to being a PegNews user, writes movie reviews for PopSyndicate.