19/05/2005

The Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitaï who is taking part in the Official competition in Cannes for the fourth time in a row has decided to tackle once more the Middle-East powder keg and the eternal Israelo-Palestinian conflict. With an essentially European co-production, Free Zone [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which was presented last night in the international press, this time deals with women’s situation. 'It’s noticeable that men’s greater success is the permanent state of war they have established in the region. Women can also become killers but they could pass on a more practical vision and human dimension towards the conflict.' explained the filmmaker.

The first part of the plot follows the one-day car journey of the American Rebecca (Natalie Portman) who is going through an identity crisis and the Isreali Hanna (the exceptional Hanna Laslo) who must go into the Free Zone, at the Jordanian-Iraqi-Saudi frontier, in order to get the money she owes to her husband back. A road-movie section particularly well managed as much on the formal shot (hand-held camera, sequence shots, superimpositions…) as on the human dialogue which exists between the two women. The second part of the film is more dogmatic and confused with the meeting of Leila, the Palestinian (Hiam Abbas), a n end full of events and speeches which disappointed most of the critics.

Produced by Nicolas Blanc for the French society Agat Films & Ex-Nihilo (60 %) in co-production with the Israeli of Agav (20 %), the Spanish of Golem (10 %) and the Belgian of Artémis Productions (10 %), Free Zone granted a budget amounting to 1.2 million dollars and was backed by Arte France Cinéma, Cinéart and the RTBF among others. Sold internationally by the French Bac Films Distribution, this film by Amos Gitaï is the second episode of a trilogy dealing with frontiers which started with Promised Land and which should stop (as the filmmaker hopes) next year with Sean Penn on top of the bill.

(Translated from French)