Free Zone

2005

1 hr. 30 min.

Drama

List

26%

47 Reviews

Tomatometer

35%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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.

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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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dave s

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.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

steve d

Portman is just as impressive as ever but the rest of the film didn't live up to her talent.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

TrÃ¨s symbolique, une mise en scÃ¨ne 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 Ã§a c'est dï¿ 1/2 1/2 1/2 (C)jÃ pas mal si on compare au cinï¿ 1/2 1/2 1/2 (C)ma des millions de dollars qui n'ont pas un dixiÃ¨me de cet effort lÃ .

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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+

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Diz pouco em muito tempo.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

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Amos Gitai

Director

Natalie Portman

Rebecca

Hanna Laslo

Hanna

Hiam Abbass

Leila

Carmen Maura

Mrs. Breitberg

Makram Khoury

Samir

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

...despite a provocative climax, the movie settles into a ponderous collection of soliloquies...

Jun 28, 2022

Full Review

Jeff Shannon

Seattle Times

A rambling road movie with noble intentions and an excess of speechifying.

Rated: 2/4

Sep 29, 2006

Full Review

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

The milieu he chooses -- essentially one long, queerly prosaic car ride to nowhere -- robs the film of much of its dramatic force.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 27, 2006

Full Review

Robert Davis

Paste Magazine

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.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 5, 2008

Full Review

Jordan Hiller

Bangitout.com

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

Rated: 1/4

Oct 2, 2007

Full Review

Walter Chaw

Film Freak Central

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.

Rated: 1/4

May 3, 2007

Full Review

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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
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