Free Zone (2005)

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).

Director:

Amos Gitai

Writers:

Amos Gitai, Marie-Jose Sanselme

Stars:

Natalie Portman, Hana Laszlo, Hiam Abbass

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
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)

Storyline

The confused American Rebecca has left USA to live in Jordan. After breaking her engagement with her Israeli boyfriend, she asks the Israeli taxi driver Hanna to take her anywhere but the place where she is. Hanna tells her that she needs to go Jordan's Free Zone, a place surrounded by Syria, Iraq and South Arabia, to receive US$ 30,000.00 that the Palestinian partner of her husband called "The American" owes to him. When they arrive in the location, they do not find the "The American" but a Palestinian woman called Leila. Hanna forces Leila to take her to meet "The American" in his Oasis, but when they arrive there, she is informed that his son has burnt the place, stolen the money and crossed the border.

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Plot Keywords:

american | palestinian | jordan | taxi | israeli | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

Israel Belgium France Spain

Language:

English Hebrew Arabic Spanish

Release Date:

7 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Serbest bölge

Filming Locations:

Free Zone, Jordan

Box Office

Budget:

$1,234,567 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$8,618 (USA) (7 April 2006)

Gross:

$32,381 (USA) (28 July 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Agat Films & Cie, Agav Films, Artémis

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Rebecca: [after prolonged sitting in car crying] Can we go? Can we leave this place? Please.
Hanna: Where to?
Rebecca: I don't know. Let's get out of here, please.

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Soundtracks

"Had Gadia"
(traditional)

User Reviews

confusing movie

Found this movie confusing and felt it could have been done much better. Understood some of the focus in the movie, the bringing together of 3 women from 3 cultures living in countries involved in perilous times etc. Found the length of time that the viewer was subjected to crying at the beginning of the movie too long and belaboured the point that was easily grasped in the first few minutes. The superimposing of scenes became annoying and distracted from the quality of the movie, the flashbacks were poorly done and only added to the confusion. The ending left the viewer high and dry without giving any meaning at all to it. In all I did not enjoy this movie it seemed to be allowed to just ramble along and I am amazed it won awards.