Lemon Tree (Etz Limon)

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is examined through fictional events in the new film Lemon Tree, a tale that upon first glance may seem like a history lesson but hides its medicine in a subtle narrative. The story of a feisty and determined Palestinian mother trying to preserve her land from the overbearing Israeli Minister of Defense is a classic David and Goliath setup that entertains as well as educates. With its political backdrop and lack of stars, Lemon Tree is destined for a limited arthouse run but with the right marketing could find a small legion of filmgoers looking for a thought-provoking film at the box office.

Hiam Abbass commands the screen as Salma, a 45 year old Palestinian widow who lives her life peacefully and in solitude. Whatever outside contact she has is mostly with her lemon grove, maintaining it and living off the small profits it brings her from time to time. The grove has been in her possession for so long it’s practically a family heirloom and it sits directly on the Israel-West Bank border. When the flamboyant Israeli Minister of Defense Navon (Doron Tavory) and his wife Mira (Rona Lipaz-Michael) decide to build a new home on the Israeli side of the fence that bleeds into Salma’s lemon grove, it causes a huge political misconception.

The ensuing David vs. Goliath struggle is something that director Eran Riklis doesn’t take lightly. There is obvious conflict between both sides as Navon condemns Salma’s lemon trees and outrageously stamps them a security risk, scheduling them to be cut down in the blink of an eye. Salma on the other hand sees no harm in any of this and by losing the lemon trees essentially loses all she has left. Her underdog status against the big bad political figure even brings in Mira into the mix as well as Ziad (Ali Suliman), a humble lawyer looking to help Salma in whatever way he can. Their scenes together sway between a hopeful optimism for defeating the Israeli enemy and the crushing realization that they may be fighting a lost cause.

This is the second collaboration between director Eran Riklis and actress Hiam Abbass after their work together on The Syrian Bride in 2004. After also taking a supporting role in last year’s sleeper hit The Visitor, Abbass continues to impress with her strong acting talent and ability to command the screen with a single stare. Her recognition from The Visitor may garner some audience interest and it would be well deserved. She is at the forefront of Lemon Tree and elevates the material from being a boring lecture into political entertainment that’s not so hard to swallow.


Distributor: IFC Films
Cast: Hiam Abbass, Ali Suliman, Rona Lipaz-Michael and Doron Tavory
Director/Producer: Eran Riklis
Screenwriters: Suha Arraf and Eran Riklis
Genre: Drama; Arabic, Hebrew and French-languages, subtitled
Rating: Unrated
Runtime: 106 min
Release Date: April 17 NY