Audience Member
Outstanding-- the best documentary I have ever seen
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/24/23
Full Review
Audience Member
One of the few documentaries that you rarely come across where you honestly don't believe what you just saw. I didn't know what was more unbelievable, the fact that Khouri actually did what she did by writing the book and claiming it to be true, or the fact that someone so obviously guilty of fraud and conning every single person she has met (pretty much) was so willing and involved in taking part in this doco.
Kudos to Anna Broinowski for unfolding such a story, in such an interesting way.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/15/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Compelling and intriguing documentary about Norma Khouri, a woman who wrote a best seller called Forbidden Love about her best friend's honor killing in Jordan. The film follows Khouri through the events of the book, soon uncovering an amazing web of lies so intricate it seems even Khouri can't tell what's real and what's not anymore. One of the best examples of the unreliable narrator I've ever seen. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, so just check it out, I think it's available on HBO.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Truth and fiction: some people have a hard time separating the two. Norma khouri is one of those people. In 2003, Khoui published her memoir, Fobidden Love, about the honor killing of her friend Dahlia by her father for besmirching their familiy. Khoui became an overnight sensation, her book flooding the market and making her a celebrity, particularly in Austrailia. In the press, Khouri was seen as a champion of women's rights in Jordan, a woman who fled her homeland a virgin, and whose only concen was to tell the plight of her friend's death. One year later, revelations about Norma Khouri came to light. First, she had only lived in Jordan until the age of 3 (with a 2 week visit in 2000). Second, that she was not a virgin but a mother of two children who she neglected for her cause. Finally, the biggest shock of all: Khouri's memoir was a work of fiction.
Regardless of your opinion of Norma, you know that people are upset with her; she lied in her book, deceived the media, abandoned her children (on several occasions), and tarnished the image of Jordan. I could go on and on, but let's sum it up: Norma is a great con artist, she can say one thing then later say that she as misquoted. In one instance, a Jordanian journalist goes over all the mistakes Khouri made in her book, from the location of the Jordan river to the choronology in the book. What was Khouri's response? To paraphrase, "It doesn't matter where the river is, I'm just telling the story. It doesn't matter if I get all the facts straight, it's the story". Norma can spin tales like no other; if she is accused of lying about her virginity, she says that it was to protect the cause and spread the truth about "Dahlia".
In this story, there are only 5 truths: There was a woman named Norma Khouri, she at one time lived in Jordan, she wrote a book, became successful, and then was accused of deception. In Norma's world, truth is flexible.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Utterly fascinating, like a tightly scripted thriller, where you don't know what the truth is even after the credits have rolled. There are even some bizarre unexpected twists, and the kind of access to the mind of a con artist you don't normally see. It's really amazing, like a true life version of The Usual Suspects.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Absolutely fascinating story about the woman who fooled the world. I am still dumbfounded by the whole thing. Highly recommended.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/26/23
Full Review
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