Free Zone (2005)

Director:

Amos Gitai

Writers:

Amos Gitai (writer)
Marie-Jose Sanselme (writer)

Release Date:

7 April 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Two women embark on a road trip after they are brought together by circumstance. Rebecca (Portman) flees her hotel after a fight with her mother-in-law (Maura) and hails a taxi driven by Hanna (Lazlo).

Plot Keywords:

Jordan | Breakup | Fire | Song | Greenhouse

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Natalie Portman	...	Rebecca
Hana Laszlo	...	Hanna Ben Moshe (as Hanna Laszlo)
Hiam Abbass	...	Leila
Carmen Maura	...	Mrs. Breitberg
Makram Khoury	...	Samir aka "The American"
Aki Avni	...	Julio
Uri Klauzner	...	Moshe Ben Moshe
Liron Levo	...	Border Security
Tomer Russo	...	Border Security
Adnan Tarabshi	...	Petrol Station Owner
Shredi Jabarin	...	Walid (as Shredy Gabarin)
Kobi Lieber	...	Radio Narrator (voice)

Also Known As:

Free Zone (France)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Israel | Belgium | France | Spain

Language:

English | Hebrew | Arabic | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | Stereo

Certification:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Brazil:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Free Zone, Jordan

Company:

Agat Films & Cie

Trivia:

A crowd of ultra-orthodox Jewish worshippers confronted Natalie Portman and her co-star Aki Avni, objecting to the couple kissing during the filming of a scene beside Jerusalem's Western Wall. The crowd charged and shouted "Immoral, immoral!" Police asked the actors to leave and return later, and they agreed.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the vehicle is just approaching the border crossing near the end of the film (1:23:00 on the DVD) we can see the silhouette of someone wearing a baseball cap moving about in the back of the vehicle.

Quotes:

Leila: Don't talk to me like this, we've been waiting hours for him to come, you come in this place and you're making a mess because you come from Israël.

Soundtrack:

Had Gadia

3 Characters, 3 Countries

It would be easy to misunderstand or even miss the whole point of this movie. But if you can get past the endless opening scene of a sobbing Natalie Portman, by the end Gitai has explored three characters (with great acting performances), three women from different cultures, and three countries. I don't want to give away the end, but Gitai has managed to make a point about Israelis, Palestinians and, after some thought about his set-up of the character, especially Americans. This makes some of the slower, strained parts of the movie better, even makes them seem to fit together nicely. My grade might be a tad high, but it's rare when any movie maker pulls off character, acting, politics, and characters that well represent their different societies. For that, this movie gets a lot of credit.