Free Zone

At the beginning, a young woman (Natalie Portman) cries long and unrestrainedly in a cab. The soundtrack is a children's song in which bigger and bigger animals eat the little ones until they are all dead. The woman just wants to get away from Jerusalem, no matter where, and simply remains seated. So the driver Hanna, who is also Jewish, takes her on a long, dubious business trip. The destination: a transshipment point for used cars in the border area between Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, the so-called "Free Zone". On the way back, after the deal fails, Leila, a Palestinian woman, sits in the cab, which temporarily becomes the actual Free Zone. The most beautiful scene is the one in which the three women enthusiastically sing along to a song on the car radio, united with themselves and the world. But the complicity dissolves at the end. Once again, Amos Gitai is concerned with the longing for a possible coexistence, with his unbroken hope and empathy for both sides: Israel and Palestine. (Birgit Flos)

Photo: Austrian Film Museum