Lemon Tree explores the callous side of human nature within a class divide as a woman's property becomes under threat by a selfish neighbour who happens to be the Defence Minister of Israel. Upon commenting on Lemon Tree Director Eran Riklis stated it was his intention for the audience to sympathise with every character yet in the case of myself as the viewer, my sympathy lay with victimised pauper Salma.She is the woman whose life is turned upside down when Defence Minister Israel Navon and his wife move next door to her and her lemon grove. To Navon the lemon grove is not a piece of beauty but rather a terrorist threat which needs to be removed so that his new home will be safer and better secured. But to Salma it is the personification of herself, a sacred piece of land in which she has put her love and devolution into retaining its longevity, going to great lengths to protect her lemon grove. Even when she is offered compensation for the proposed destruction of her lemon grove she states that "no amount of money can compensate", it gives Salma a characteristic quality which makes her a respectable figure to support. Despite the strength she has in fighting Navon for her lemon grove Salma is also shown to be a emotionally vulnerable woman. Dreaming about lemons falling down in the grove Salma awakens with the shadow of a lemon tree moving in an almost haunted fashion to show the extent of Salma's fear. It is such visual moments in Lemon Tree which work to a great advantage, no need for dialogue as the visuals shown hit us to the core.This visual aspect comes into play in the wonderful non – verbal relationship between Selma and Mira which symbolises the beauty of human nature. After a number of subtle glances at one another Mira's respect for Selma comes to fruition after she apologies for her husband's hypocritical selfishness after taking lemons from her grove. Like Selma, Mira shares the burden of loneliness due to the absence of children and is against her husband's plans to destroy the lemon grove sharing Selma's love for nature. They both also lack proper male companionship with Selma's husband dead along with having conflicting feelings for a younger man and Mira's husband makes her a prisoner in their home with the exaggerated use of armed security. In a defining moment Mira crosses over the lemon grove to connect with Salma. She looks through Salma's window to see her crying over the pressure of the situation. Mira being affected by this outpour of emotion is stopped by security just as she knocks on Salma's door. This short scene is capable of summing up the class divide which is causing damage both internally and externally. Mira was only trying to make a connection with Salma which both of whom would have benefited from; instead they are effectively barred from each other due to the class divide caused by Navon using his power to threaten Salma's livelihood. It makes one wonder if people such as Mira and Selma were in Navon position then they would no be abusing their power and destroying the lives of others, a tragedy of human nature which is shown to its fullest in Lemon Tree.The result of Navon's callous nature along with the authority he works with results in Salma's lemon grove being reduced to nothing in an unforgettable final bleak shot. However it also comes at a price for Navon, with Mira leaving him along with his view now being a dull grey security wall instead of a vivid lemon grove leaving no one was victorious by the end showing the ridiculous extent of the situation which could have been resolved in a more pleasant manner.Lemon Tree is a beautiful film both aesthetically and in its plot, although it shows the destructive side of human nature can cause as in the plight of Salma yet it also shows a wonderful aspect which is possible in humanity even if it did not prevail this time. One for a belief in justice and dedication for the right thing rather than lying down for people's harmful motives.

As a former theater director/producer I was stunned at the simplicity of Ms Abbass's realistic performance. This is truly acting at its finest. It doesn't appear to be acting at all, but simple reality. The entire cast was excellent, the direction clean and clear. The film takes no sides in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict .... it simply shows the us the toil it takes on human beings caught in this endless dilemma.**spoiler alert**The kiss is the most perfect, beautiful, transcendent moment of its kind I've ever seen captured on film .... the increase of sunlight, the only "effect" in the film, is pitch perfect.Don't miss this simple, eloquent performance.

I watched this film a few days ago on ARTE, a French-German television. I was glad I had that opportunity, given the enthusiastic reviews I had read on the press. I was greatly disappointed. The film is really nothing to write home about. The plot is so one-sided, and the characters are so grossly divided into good ones and bad ones, that I'm very surprised reviews could be so positive. The point is not that it's pro-Palestinian: I, for one, have over time become a staunch critic of Israel and its policies, especially those of its present government. My point is that I expect films to be somewhat different from fairy tales. Of course, films can't be a history essay; but I get the disquieting impression that this film, with its mixture of an innocent victim, a cynical politician and his sensitive wife, is a cunning exercise in overt exploitation of the public's goodwill.

Hiam Abbass (The Visitor) is outstanding as Salma, a Palestinian widow with a lemon grove that ekes out a meager living. Unfortunately, the Israeli Defence Minister moves in next door and wants the lemon grove gone for security reasons.Just like governments everywhere, there is no concern for the effect of rulings on individuals. The Defence Minister (Doron Tavory) is too busy chasing skirts to care. His wife (Rona Lipaz-Michael) cares, but has to put up with his philandering and his dismissal of her concerns. But Salma won't give up without a fight.She certainly gets no help from the local Palestinian politicians, who don't like rocking the boat.She goes to a local court and is dismissed, so she decides to go to the Israeli Supreme Court. Mira (Lipaz-Michael) gets more involved as the case drags on. The relationship with her lawyer (Ali Suliman) also gets more involved.The film shows the impossibility of Palestinian - Israeli relations ever getting better.