The second film in Amos Gitai's "Border Trilogy" (after 2004's 'Promised Land', which even with the involvement of early-career Rosamund Pike didn't do much for me either), 'Free Zone' is a film with noble intentions and takes on a brave subject but could have dealt with it with more tact, subtlety and illumination than it did. 'Free Zone's' best asset is the acting. Natalie Portman disappears into her role and gives an emphatic performance that has its fair share of poignant moments. Same goes with a terrific Hana Laslo, as the film's most interesting and least hollow-in-development character, and Hiam Abbass brings dignity to the proceedings. The scenery is atmospheric and evocative, often looking quite beautiful and some of the lensing is impressive. There are a few sporadically moving parts, but this is largely down to the quality of the acting and how good a job the actors do with what they're given. Another attraction is the soundtrack. Not only is it very well-composed and full of atmosphere and sheer beauty, it really adds and even enhances the mood, giving an emotional wallop. Contrary to some calling the interaction robotic, to me it came over quite naturally.However, a lot doesn't work. The allegorical/metaphorical elements are too confused and slight, the symbolism is really over-bearing too often and 'Free Zone' doesn't work as an emotional drama due to flimsily developed characters and a very preachy tone. The story is not easy to follow, which is usually not an issue for me, and feels very incomplete and inconclusive. With the establishment of 'Free Zone's' theme done to death in the first ten minutes, to be reminded of it constantly throughout made the film feel repetitive.Pacing is a real issue here too, often being far too long-winded and drawn out. Unlike 'Promised Land' which started off promisingly, the opening scene in 'Free Zone' goes on for an eternity and already gives off a sense of heavy-handedness, making one conflicted as to whether to stick with the film. On top of the lethargic and ham-fisted direction from Gitai and the very clunky, underwritten and over-emphatic script, 'Free Zone' is visual chaos, the over-reliance on long shots and shoddy editing looking amateurish and self-indulgent. Nothing is illuminating or emotional impactful here, one is instead feeling restless, talked down to and confused to care for the characters and their less than compelling plight.To conclude, not awful and has some good elements but there's no real incentive to rush to see 'Free Zone' unless a Natalie Portman or Amos Gitai completest. 5/10 Bethany Cox

When I saw the beginning of the film begins with more than 10 minutes of Natalie crying in a passenger seat, while nothing is happening, I knew this film will be a very boring film, but I kept watching it, and I made a mistake! The film is a 15 minutes film dragged into 90 minute film, when most of the time nothing is happening, it is not that the film is slow, just things don't move, beside the car they are driving. The director did a very good job of annoying me, he just made a joke of the middle east conflict with a shallow, meaning less story. I am a big fan of art movies, and I am not a Hollywood movie fan, but this Free Zone is not an art movie, and even it is not a Hollywood movie. What I don't understand is how can this film win any awards and even be nominated, especially in Cannes Film Festival. Was the actors so bad in that year that Hana Laszlo won the best Best Actress in Cannes Film Festival? For half of the film she was driving with no expressions or dialog, and even when she spoke she was not convincing. All the actors beside Makram Khoury and Natalie Portman (she was not brilliant) were really bad! But I would say the worst of them all is the director, I did not see any other film he did, but if all his films are like this one, then he should start doing something else!Sorry if my English is not perfect!

Directed and co-written by Amos Gitai, Free Zone is the first Israeli movie to be shot in Jordan, and was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Without a doubt my interest in watching the film is for the performance of the luminous Natalie Portman at her birthplace, and one which spotted a bit of controversy and ruckus with their filming near the Wailing Wall. But what is essentially my first Israeli film, I was awed by its simplicity yet powerful underlying message within.The film is bookended by the cumulative song Chad Gadya which grows on you with each passing minute, but yet watching Natalie Portman's Rebecca crying uncontrollably for more than 5 minutes, somehow just breaks your heart, and you start to wonder why so. We find out later that the American had broken off with her boyfriend Julio (Aki Avni) and is now sitting in a cab she boarded, without a destination to go to in a city not of her own, and begets the driver, Hanna Ben Moshe (Hana Laszlo, in an excellent performance which was to win her the Best Actress Award at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival) to take her anywhere. Hanna grudgingly agrees despite having a personal errant to run in Jordan, and brings her along for a ride.Like a road trip, the cinematography presents the film in 2 distinct ways, one as if you're an invisible passenger on the same journey with the ladies, ever present in the passenger seat, with point of views centered from within and around the vehicle they're in. The other view, as Rebecca puts it, is that it's "amazing to see things you read in the books". We explore the scenery from Tel Aviv to Amman, in this road trip, and always for those (like me) who have yet to visit both countries, allows for a documentary styled eye-opener like a travelogue for sight and sound. Uniquely, instead of being satisfied with just showing endless roads and paths, we get compressed time with a double exposure and superimposition of the back- stories of both Rebecca and Hanna, and learn of the objective of the latter in this journey to seek someone to recover bad debts to the tune of US$30,000.Being set in the Middle East also brings to mind the volatility of the security environment and peace agreements in place between the Israelis and Arabs. Issues such as those at the border depicted in the film reflects that clear and present tension that security personnel grapple with everyday, as did the radio announcements made over the impending and credible intelligence of threats. When crossed over to Jordan and meeting up with Leila (Hiam Abbass), we sense a deep mistrust between the characters, even though it stemmed from the root of all evil - money.That aside, the movie did take ample time off to provide a candid observation of common folk on both sides of the border, highlighting their plight to earn a living, and the tenacity and will of villagers who rebuild their lives ordeal after ordeal. Theirs is never to give up.But I thought the payload came from the very assured direction of Gitai, with a succinct depiction of the uneasy tripartite relationship between the Arabs, Israelis and the Americans, as represented by the respective characters in their dealings with one another. Sure they bond over cigarettes, music and a common goal in their road trip back to Israel, but under this short term peaceful existence you still cannot shake off that aged old deep rooted mistrust, as it manifested itself toward the end and really got blown way out of proportion, dragging it out. I felt it mirrored the challenges for long term peace, and that comes probably only as a result of a profound, sincere and genuine understanding of cultures cutting both ways, as Leila casually remarked starting with the learning of the Arabic and Hebrew languages. And the most interesting note would be that of Rebecca's insistence to tag along Hanna and get herself embroiled in the feud between both sides, only to find herself running away when the going gets hot, either from a lack of patience, or having absolutely no clue and surrendering from trying to seek a workable peace process for all.Deceptively simple, with a powerful underlying message. And the wonderful performances by the ensemble team of actresses, made this all the more worthwhile to sit through.

If you're looking for an action packed adventure don't get this movie. This movie is GREAT because of the themes it touches on, the ideas it makes you think about, and is mentally and intellectually stimulating. If you like using your mind, and if you are an intellectual, deep thinker then rent this movie. A++++++ Movie This movie takes so getting used to because of the way it is filmed, but if you look beyond that to the message it is really very suiting the way it was filmed. Natalie Portman is an excellent actress and she doesn't let me know at all in the this movie. The first few minutes might be a bit trying on one's patience, but I promise if you can get thru that and watch the rest you will walk awake with a true experience.