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Free Zone

Play trailer Poster for Free Zone 2005 1h 30m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
26% Tomatometer 47 Reviews 35% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Three women, an American (Natalie Portman), an Israeli (Hanna Laslo) and a Palestinian (Hiam Abbass), all become traveling companions in a remote part of Jordan.
Free Zone

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The symbolism in this cinematic metaphor on conflicts in the Middle East becomes so overbearing that it's hard to care about the characters or their plight.

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Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 06/28/2022
...despite a provocative climax, the movie settles into a ponderous collection of soliloquies... Go to Full Review
Jeff Shannon Seattle Times 09/29/2006
2/4
A rambling road movie with noble intentions and an excess of speechifying. Go to Full Review
Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle 07/27/2006
2.5/5
The milieu he chooses -- essentially one long, queerly prosaic car ride to nowhere -- robs the film of much of its dramatic force. Go to Full Review
Robert Davis Paste Magazine 06/05/2008
3/5
There's an art to ambiguity -- there really is... Left to their own devices, viewers will fill in the blanks, but when the movie starts filling them in itself, you have to wonder about the mismatch. Go to Full Review
Jordan Hiller Bangitout.com 10/02/2007
1/4
While Portman does outshine everyone and everything on screen and though she certainly gets credit for making the rsum sacrifice in the spirit of embracing her heritage, Free Zone does nothing for her in return Go to Full Review
Walter Chaw Film Freak Central 05/03/2007
1/4
Without much effort you can imagine the corkboard littered with index cards mapping out the political clashes this cast is asked to act out in their robotic interactions. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Dave S 09/21/2021 From the opening eight-minute shot of a visibly distraught Natalie Portman sitting in the back of a car to the final lengthy shot of the Israeli arguing with the Palestinian, it is clear that Free Zone is not your typical date night movie. A young woman visiting Israel accompanies an Israeli woman, who is going to collect $30,000 from "the American," into Jordan. Upon arriving, however, she is told by a Palestinian woman that neither ‘the American' nor the money is available. The film is clearly a microcosm of the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians in general, as the two women are able to pleasantly coexist periodically but are unable to maintain the friendly relationship for any prolonged period of time. The acting is excellent throughout, but the film is hampered by unnecessary flashbacks and a message that lacks any sense of subtlety. See more Steve D 06/27/2020 Portman is just as impressive as ever but the rest of the film didn't live up to her talent. See more 05/18/2019 Très symbolique, une mise en scène qui a du sens, des plans rï¿ 1/2 1/2 1/2 (C)flï¿ 1/2 1/2 1/2 (C)chies et une prestation d'acteur qui n'a rien a envier aux autres films qui ont un fort taux de pourcentage ici....Et tout ça c'est dï¿ 1/2 1/2 1/2 (C)jà pas mal si on compare au cinï¿ 1/2 1/2 1/2 (C)ma des millions de dollars qui n'ont pas un dixième de cet effort là. See more 10/03/2014 How long will this circle of horror last? Rebecca has a deep appreciation for the Islamic ways despite breaking off a recent engagement with her fiancé. After getting into an argument with her mother in-law, she jumps in a taxi in Jordan with a unique taxi driver. She is female and has her own problems. Neither have anything special to do that day but tell each other their fascinating stories of the events in their life that led to their chance encounter. "The man could only take fifty, fifty from hundreds. I was the fifty-first." Amos Gitai, director of Tsili, Words from Gods, One Day You'll Understand, Eden, Promised Land, and Disengagement, delivers Free Zone. The storyline for this picture is interesting mainly due to the settings and Islamic feel and the acting is very solid. The cast delivers their performances well and includes Natalie Portman, Hana Laszlo, Hiam Abbass, Carmen Maura, Makram Khoury, and Aki Avni. "What did she do?" "She let me have her in her husband's bed." Free Zone is a movie I grabbed off Netflix because it starred one of my all time favorite actresses, Natalie Portman. I will say this movie was interesting from a scenery and sub plot purposes. The overall movie was just okay so I wouldn't go to out of my way to see this, but it is worth watching once. "What do you want to grow?" Grade: C+ See more 06/03/2013 Diz pouco em muito tempo. See more 05/30/2013 Rebecca (Natalie Portman) é uma americana que vive em Jerusalém há alguns meses. Ao entrar no táxi da israelense Hanna (Hana Laszlo), Rebecca aceita acompanhá-la quando esta revela que está a caminho da "zona franca" na Jordânia, local onde pessoas do Iraque, Egito, Síria e Israel circulam livremente, para fazer negócios. Lá a palestina Leila (Hiam Abbass) explica para Hanna sobre o desaparecimento do homem que devia dinheiro a ela e a seu marido. A partir deste momento as três mulheres, de nacionalidades e histórias de vida distintas, deverão manter-se unidas nesta noite em que tudo pode acontecer. See more Read all reviews
Free Zone

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Movie Info

Synopsis Three women, an American (Natalie Portman), an Israeli (Hanna Laslo) and a Palestinian (Hiam Abbass), all become traveling companions in a remote part of Jordan.
Director
Amos Gitai
Producer
Nicolas Blanc, Michael Tapuah, Laurent Truchot
Screenwriter
Amos Gitai, Marie-Jose Sanselme
Production Co
Agav Hafakot
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Apr 7, 2006
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$32.4K
Runtime
1h 30m