Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

punishmentpark Lucky me, seeing Alia Shawkat twice in a row, unexpectedly, on a Saturday film night. This time she plays an American cousin to a Palestinian boy who comes to America with his mother. It starts out in Palestine (West Bank) though, and it's really interesting to get a sense of that place through a piece of film drama (other than the news or a documentary).Main character Muna Farah is played very well by Nisreen Faour, as her struggles with her new life really come across. Director Cherien Dabis said it like this, elsewhere on the net: 'had a sweetness about her [...] a kindness and a childlike sense of wonder. There was something about her that was so youthful, and yet, I could still see in her eyes the depth of sadness that her life experience had given her.' That's what I was trying to say!The story is more like a series of incidents, the main lines being Muna trying to find work and her son Fadi trying to regain his identity (though there is plenty beyond that, like how the family they stay with is coping). There is the school principal who befriends Muna, and there is the hostile schoolboy who opposes Fadi - and from there on it goes... and quite suddenly ends - leaving me to think this would have made great material for at least a miniseries.On the whole it's a very sympathetic little film - low key and low budget - truly with its heart in the right place.

dwpollar 1st watched 1/1/2012 – 8 out of 10 (Dir-Cherien Dabis): Well made drama about a single mother and her son moving from Bethlehem in Palestine to the US, and encounter many different obstacles upon their arrival. This movie is what you'd call a slice-of-life film but focused on a situation that isn't shown much in the movies. They decide to move right in the middle of the Iraq conflict to help the son with his schooling possibilities while suspicions are high against people from their area. This is seen from the perspective of non-Muslim middle eastern folk who just want to live their lives like everyone else. The son first has to encounter being a teen at a Midwest high school where he gets into fights and then gets arrested defending his mother – so things aren't so kind for him in his new surroundings. Nisreen Faour is wonderful as the mother and the rest of the cast is spot on. The experience is not all gloom-and-doom as the mother meets a sympathetic Polish Jew who is the principal of her son's school as well as a friendly teen she works with at the local White Castle. The only real downside to the movie is that it ends too soon. You get attached to these characters and want to see more, but it ends before any major conclusions – other than the fact that life will go on and things are looking up. Don't miss this gem of a movie that deserves a sequel or maybe a reality series on a cable channel?? – Anything to bring back these characters so will can follow them to see how things turn out in the end.

throw99 I seldom comment on movies here but felt compelled to comment on this one. I say "not what you might expect" because I think a lot of people's reactions to this film are going to be heavily influenced by preconceptions about what this film is supposed to be "about." I can't blame them; if I heard that this was "a film about an Arab family's struggles after immigrating the USA after September 11th," I'd probably groan because I'd have certain expectations too. But this is not a "message" film, and if you go into it looking for messages, you're going to miss the point. Rather than political, this film is personal. You could call it simple, but it's not simplistic. Far from it; it refuses to reduce the subtlety and nuance of life to overt messages. I think that an honest, objective viewing of this movie will reveal that, the "stereotypes" and "simplifications" that some reviewers are seeing, were brought in by the reviewers themselves. This is not a perfect film, but it has a lot more depth, beauty and truth than most family dramas, and certainly more than the didactic work one might expect.

meeza I am going to immigrate this film review into the unchartered waters of Punsylvania! OK, so I overdo the pun thang in my movie reviews. But it is America, a land of freedom & expression! So I will do the same in my review of the independent film "Amreeka". Are you still with me? Or did you deport yourself to another entertainment medium? OK cool, you are still here! "Amreeka" stars Nisreen Faour as Muna Farah, a Ramallah single mother who moves to America with her teenage son Fadi. They move into the Illinois home of Muna's sister Raghda Halaby and family. Muna and Fadi find the U.S. migration transition process difficult as they encounter injustices and prejudices. Muna is constantly denied jobs for banking employment, which was her occupation in Palestine. So she has no other choice but to follow the trails of Harold & Kumar and visit the White Castle; which is where she eventually finds employment. It becomes a very self-demeaning situation for Muna in not earning the Mula she originally thought she would earn as a U.S. banking associate. Muna lies to Fadi and Raghda & family by informing them that she works in a local bank. She should really work at White Lies Castle! On the other Ramallahian, Fadi is constantly bullied at school by a group of young boys because of his ethnicity. Writer-Director Cherien Dabis presents her Dabis tale on the prejudicial hardships that good-honest middle easterners face in immigrating to United States with an authenticity that does not make one feel sympathy for them but rather root for their success in the so-called "land of opportunity". Nisreen Faour's heartbreaking & courageous performance as Muna was very solid! The fabulous Faour could be saying to herself "I am rica" if she continues her acting proficiency and eventually gets offered lucrative roles. She carried the film from start to finish! Hiam Abbass' supporting performance as sister Raghda was also worth noting and was not a "rag doll" effort. The Abbass also dove nicely into a deep supporting performance in 2008's "The Visitor". "Amreeka" does sometimes almost borders itself on plot boredom, but that never materializes primarily due to Nisreen Faour's superlative starring performance. Visit "Amreeka" today! **** Good