Free Zone

3 women. A Palastenian (Hiam Abbass, Leila), a Jewish American (Natalie Portman, Rebecca), and an Israeli (Hana Lazslo, Hanna). Their paths converge as each one of them fights for survival in the land they all want to call home. Amazing performance by Lazslo and Abbass, the former won best actress at Cannes in 2005.

Not much happens in the movie, which basically revolves around Hanna, a taxi driver and a car-dealer (she and her husband sell ammo cars in the free zone, to the Palastenians! "we all want to survive, the only thing that is sure in Israel is the Intifada and the war "), on a cross-border trip to Jordan to meet Leila, who supposedly should have available the money owed to Hanna. Rebecca has just broken up with her fiancee and would do anything to run away from a country she once thought she belonged in, from ideals she once believed in and can no longer find, so she begs Hanna to take her along.

The best scene in my opinion is definitely the last one. Leila doesn't have the money, she's trying to explain to Hanna in Arabic. Hanna, in Hebrew, insists that Leila has the money in her bag and that she should hand it to her immediately. This goes on FOREVER, each getting edgier and angrier by the second, and the arguement is going no where (ring a bell??). In the meantime Rebecca grabs her American passport and flees away from the car towards Jordan, she does not look back.

People in general found the movie never-ending, frustrating and dense. and I think that's exactly what Gitai wanted to convey. The lack of communication, the need to survive, and the desperation in people's lives.

Leila: "You know, I think it's really important to understand the language of your enemy. It's a pity Israelis don't speak Arabic like Palestinians speak Hebrew. If they do, I think things will change".

Hanna: "I speak Arabic, I speak English, what language are you speaking ?"

Through all of this though, I sensed a spark of hope, in the scene where all three of the women are humming and swaying to the same tune..